


Down in the Negaverse

by Gamewizard2008



Series: Kids Next Door Gameverse [29]
Category: Codename: Kids Next Door, Fairy Tail, One Piece, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Bending (Avatar), Crossover, Darkness, F/M, Fanfiction, Magic, Negaverse, Opposites Attract, Shrinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-02
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-18 03:59:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 132,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14845290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gamewizard2008/pseuds/Gamewizard2008
Summary: The first story of the Seven Lights Saga,Down in the Negaverse, also called theNegaverse Arc. While all the happy, carefree adventures were occurring in the world above, things are dark and gloomy down in the Negaverse, home to all the Negatives of our favorite characters. Get a look at their everyday lives as we view their friendships and care for each other... or not.





	1. Meanwhile, Down Below

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An introduction to the Negaverse as we meet the noble Lorac Nosretsam, and the child dictator, Aluben.

**Hello, everybody! We got 1 month ‘til _Seven Lights_ , so let’s make a story to really kick it off! Starring our favorite characters!… but _opposite_. ;I**

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Chapter -20: Meanwhile, Down Below

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**Cleveland, Virginia… er-**

It was a very peaceful day in Virginia. Children were playing, sun was shining, the Kids Next Door kept everything in place, and its operatives went on many wild adventures in many stories! …In other words: clich _eeeeeee_! Let’s take a little look downstairs. In our favorite parallel dimension called the Negaverse.

Pitch-black nighttime in this world, but it didn’t mean kids had to sleep, ‘cause it was backwards. Things had changed to match the Posiverse, with adults having (minor) responsibilities and kids being kids, but a balance still had to be kept to differentiate this world: opposite personalities being one, leading to all sorts of chaos or harmony, depending on the person and their preferences, animals having more intelligence and rights, the “rich” having become “poor”, and general contradicting times or seasons.

The outer yards of an army base were heavily guarded, searchlights, spiked yards, 10-foot walls, and monkey bars over toxic chasms. A young girl with puffy, dirty blonde hair, clear blue eyes, and brown ragged clothes peeped up from a bush and quietly scampered in the yard. She didn’t make a sound with her bare feet, filthy from the dirt of the earth, as were other parts of her otherwise clear skin. She was very quick and nimble, easily skipping over the spike yard in its small openings, sliding to the sides to avoid the searchlights, and as she ran straight at the imposing 10-foot wall, she performed a great jump partway up, and rushed up the rest of the way the moment her feet planted against it. Once she made it to the toxic chasm, instead of grapple across the monkey bars, she leaped into the chasm and landed softly on a small rock platform.

Making careful jumps across the footholds on her tippy-toes, she got to a pipe where the waste leaked out. Wide enough for the width of her body to fit, with careful precision, she dove in and forced her hands to the ceiling corners, with both feet against the outside of the toxic river. She progressed through in this pose until she finally got to the base’s interior, to the wider river as she looked to the railing high above. She carefully kicked toward the right wall and Wall Jumped between them, 7 feet apart but still managing.

Once atop the walkway, she began navigating through the base, moving very swift and out of the guards’ vision, and while running through the halls, she fell totally flat and slid beneath the security lasers, then made the leap over the remaining ones to reach the platform above. Two guards spotted her, but she leaped overhead and stood on the first one’s shoulders, kicking his head back and forth with her left foot before he fell defeated. The second guard shot his gun, but she rolled and dodged between his legs, then kicked off the wall to shoot at his backside. Once he was down, she kicked his head against the floor and took him out.

She then swiped his ID card and scanned it in the terminal, allowing the vault to open. Inside were stacks of money “stolen” for “charity”, charity which they wouldn’t give it to. She stuffed all the money into an Infi-Cube she whipped up from scraps, and once it was all collected, she skipped and hopped her way out of the base the same way she came in.

She made her way to her neighborhood park, where many kids were happy to see her. “Look, everyone! It’s Lorac! Lorac’s back!”

“Yes I am!” Lorac proclaimed with a joyous and loving expression. “And here: money for ALL of my friends, no debt required!” She grabbed the dollars from the Infi-Cube and threw them everywhere. For she was Lorac Nosretsam, the poorest, and most unselfish girl anyone ever knew.

“YAAAAAAYY!” The kids all scrambled to grab some.

Lorac smiled, rejoicing in the happiness she brought to these kids. But her look became quizzical once she heard a rustling in the bushes. Her face furrowing, she grabbed a pebble in her toes and tossed it straight to the bush, hitting her stalker perfectly between the eyes. “Ow!” The boy toppled out, a black-haired boy in a midnight-blue sweater and pants, with a blue water droplet image on the front of his shirt, and one on his right pants leg. He got to his feet, his eyes big hearts. “Oh, my lovely Lorac, only _you_ could land a perfect shot!” He was Nosam Atnalamid, son of Wehttam and Anuledrolf, and Lorac’s lovesick stalker.

“Ugh, can’t you leave me alone for 10 seconds, Nosam?”

“I have, but alas, I feel so lonely when you’re gone.” He approached her with a mock weepy expression. “Arorua has me on suicide watch for Aliehs all day, and SHE IS JUST SO BOOOORIIIIING. You are so much more interesting, so kind and lovely and carefree, why can’t I stay with YOU all the time, Lorac?”

“Because YOU are a CREEP!” Lorac kicked him in the face. “That -200$ I gave you was out of friendly generosity, everyone got some and I wasn’t charging any debt, so just let it go.” She walked away.

“But I practiced my waterbending just for you! I’ve created this gorgeous statue in your honor, see?” Using his bending, he grabbed water from a nearby fountain and mended it into a liquidy statue or Lorac.

“That’s, um… very nice. Well, I’m going to see if my Minish friends have any new gifts; as if they couldn’t bring me enough. Siiigh… good-bye, Nosam.” And she left.

Not wishing to let her go, he sprayed breath-freshener in his mouth and prepared to march after with a smooth smile. “What’re you doing.”

“Ahh!” A boy in a black sweater, blue jeans, and black hair with a purple stripe grabbed Nosam’s hood. It was Nollid Kroy, son of Nalon Kroy and Latsyrc Snekciw, not that he’d acknowledge his father’s existence.

“Come on, Nosam. Quit embarrassing yourself to her, it’s not like she likes you.”

“I will win her heart one day, Nollid, and you will bask in our cuteness!”

“Sure you will, Nosy. Come on.” Nollid proceeded to drag Nosam by the hood, his butt dragging along the ground.

“I will return to you, my lovely Loraaac!”

**Negative Sector V Treehouse**

The living room of the metallic, heavily-armed treehouse was roaring with peaceful, classical music booming from Yrrah Nagillig’s stereos. “Y-Y-Y-Yrrah, can you please turn that down?” Sirhc Onu stuttered. “I-It’s just, you know…”

“Sirhc, you know how hard it isth to work on thisth sthuff?” Yrrah said with a nerdy voice, trying to fix a machine. He looked like his counterpart, except with square glasses and buckteeth. “I need thisth music to soothe me. And to drown out Eelyah’s consthant basthing.”

His sister, Eelyah Nagillig, was bashing a wood board against the wall ‘til it broke. “Huhuhuhu. Wood go break.”

“Siiiiigh. When’re Nollid and Nosam getting back?” Arorua asked, sitting on the couch with her head in her hand in boredom.

“Right here, Boss.” Nollid was still dragging Nosam by the hood. “Excuse the googly eyes.”

“Siiiiigh when will my lovely Lorac join our fair sector so we may be together evermore?” Nosam said lovingly.

“Nosam, just get back to watching Aliehs.” Arorua said uninterestingly.

“How come, ‘t’s not like she ever moves from that spot.”

In the darkest corner of the room, Aliehs Citnarf sat lonely and gloomily. She was a half-raccoon human with pale skin, a gray T-shirt, black shorts, gray flip-flops, and pale-brown raccoon ears and tail. “I wanna die…”

“Oh GOD, Aliehs, you’re like, always so DULL and GLOOMY.” proclaimed Eirik Seltaeb, daughter of Ikuk Nabnas and Legin Onu, and the most talkative person in Sector V. Her snarky attitude and hate for Rainbow Monkeys made her who she is. “If you stepped in the sun, would you like, crumble away like a vampire, ‘cause you’re just that BLEAK, so ugly!”

“And yet, her intelligence is superb.” Nosam remarked. “But could never save herself in a pool without my help. Siiiigh, I wonder what my Lorac is doing now?”

“Staying away from you, Weirdo.’ Nollid replied. “Speaking of staying away, what’s Akurah doing?”

“Keh, keh, cougheh!” A little hamster stumbled out of the hallway and fell dead, a cloud of purple gas behind him.

“Awwww that’s ashaaame.” A pigtailed girl with black hair and a pitch-black dress with an upside-down Cross necklace, and black rose in her hair, walked out. “I was three seconds away from beating my record.”

“AKURAH!” Stomping in behind her was a fairly muscular boy in a red hat, who spoke in a stern voice. “I ain’t tolerating you stinkin’ up this treehouse, y’all better get this poison cleared!”

“Go bark at a tree, Eitra.” retorted Akurah Atnalamid, the older twin sister of Nosam. Although the daughter of a water and firebender, she was born with purple poisonbending.

“You KILL mah hamsters again, Ah’m gonna ram ya a new one!!”

“Siiiigh. Why musth my sthiblings be stho violent?” Yrrah asked.

“Man, whatevuh. We have any missions today?”

“I’d call and ask, but I think Supreme Leader went off to cause trouble in the Posiverse again…” Arorua said bored. “Not that he ever gives us any exciting missions, anyway.”

“If Lorac were in our group, our lives would be full of excitement!” Nosam proclaimed. “Such a lovely, adventurous girl. Unlike some people…”

“Sigh… who _cares_?…” said Aliehs with no spirit at all.

“Not me.” Arorua said, standing up. “I’m going downstairs. Don’t call me if anything happens.” And so, she left.

“D-Don’t leave me with these people!” Sirhc cried.

“Go hang out with your girlfriend.” she told him.

**EiznekCm Household**

Arorua walked into the living room and lied on the carpeted floor with her arms wrapped behind her head. Her father was reading a newspaper on the couch, reading a history section. “Oi… hard to believe 20 years have passed since that Gnaa fellow showed up outta nowhere.”

“Oh yeah… What happened to him.”

“Oh ‘e just disappeared after some big explosion. No one knows where he went. Sad thing, really. Even that girlfriend of his stopped looking for him.” He closed the paper. “‘ey. What’s wrong, Rora? You look more down than… ah, who’m I kidding, you're always this down! Still?”

“Sigh… I dunno, Dad… things just feel so… _dull_ here in the Negaverse. The sky’s always dark, everyone sucks, we hardly do anything… I always wonder what it's like in the Positives' world.”

“The Positives’ world? Blech! If you ask me, those guys are WAY too happy. We’re an important part in the grand scheme of the universe! We're the example that things always aren’t too happy in this world, things aren't all love and joy. Be proud you’re down here sulking in depression, instead of having the carefree cheesy lives those losers have. ‘sides, they wouldn't have their cheesiness if it weren’t for our misery, because Light can't exist without Darkness, so be happy you’re lettin' them burn!”

“Great… I’m merely a pawn to better the life of someone more fortunate than me.”

“Siiigh, I don’t know what to say, Aror. But you and your friends should just be happy you’re alive. Don’t matter if destiny has some important thing for you or not. But wowzie… Nerry’s bein’ one heck of a leader from what I heard. Resistin’ that dictator’s invites… he’s got ‘is mother’s gutsiness alright.”

“Yes… I just wish I had that gutsiness.”

**Aixalag; Planet Ainozama**

Ainozama, the planet of very large, but fairly weak women. Although it was mainly female-dominated, they would always welcome men in their world to perhaps defend for them, and maybe become nice girlfriends. If these giantess had anything to contribute, it was their smarts and technical know-how. A small army of child Nainozama (otherwise called Nega-Amazonians), with their leader in the front, stood before a group of humanoid alien kids with a flying saucer. The kids’ leader was a girl with black and white hair, a blinding white tux and shoes, and black tie. Her yellow and black mismatched eyes were unsettling. “So please… join my empire, and submit your loyalty to me.”

“Um… w-we don’t want to.” said the Nainozama leader, a very worried, frightful frown on her giant face. “But we would happily give you some of our stuff, if you want.”

The brown-skinned child’s eyes were wide and hypnotic, her toneless expression unchanging. “If you don’t join… I will have to force you.”

“W-W-We know what you, do… and, w-we got anti-psychic helmets.” All of the frightened giants placed helmets over their heads.

“That’s nice… if only that mattered.” And so, the alien leader raised her hands and bent her fingers very tight and forcefully.

“AAAAHH!” The front group of Nainozama, including their leader, fell to their knees, feeling an unbearable searing of pain. They gripped their knees tight, feeling the bones may burst out of their legs, but the same pain was then felt in their shoulders.

“Please… join my empire.”

“Y-Yes! We’ll join!” cried the Nainozama leader, her large tears falling fast. “P-Please don’t hurt us! Please! We’ll do anything!”

She released them. “Perfect.” With that, a purple-skinned alien girl marched up, and using her own strange power, carved ‘DNKG’ into the Nainozama leader’s arm’s flesh, red with her blood, without touching the child at all. Afterwards, the aliens returned to their saucer, with the dictator sparing a look back at the Nainozamas. “It’s time you learned as well, that all species are inferior to us. For we are the Destructively Nefarious Kid Gods.”

_

Ruler of the DNK Gods, Dictator of Kidkind  
“Numbuh Nothing” ALUBEN .D MOTTOBEIKNIW

_

The Nainozamas watched as the saucer left their atmosphere, still weeping in horror and fear. For the sake of their lives, they would follow and obey this ruler until the end.

 

**Ahhhhhh a universe is always complete with a Negaverse. In fact, back in 2011, me and a couple friends made this Season of Shadows thing, ‘cause we were all making stories about Negatives ‘round this time of year, and it was also a month before I began _Eight Firstborn_. Siiiigh, those were the times, but now we are bringing it back! I’ll probably be the only one posting, but it don’t matter! XDX ‘Cause Negatives are upside-down balls of fun! :D So here’s just an introduction, next time we’ll get a look at more! Until then! ;D**


	2. Of Stones and Sticks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirhc Onu and Yddam Yhprum train with Trepur Noskcid in order to become stronger. Meanwhile, Nosam and Aliehs find a mysterious door.

**Hello, everyone. Let’s start this chapter, with a little throwback. ;)**

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Chapter -19: Of Stones and Sticks

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**Dnalevelc Park**

“Siiigh, what will I do to impress my lovely Lorac this time.” Nosam thought aloud with a dreamy face, pulling Aliehs along as they walked down the sidewalk. “Perhaps I will serve her a plate of the finest fruits and veggies, or delight her with a glass of fresh spring water.”

“Why’re you takin’ me, I don’ wanna watch you _do stuff…”_ Aliehs mumbled.

“And I do not want to be with you, but alas, Arorua’s orders are Rora’s orders. Which generally mean nothing, but ‘ey. I will show kindness like Lorac’s to win her heart!”

“Mmmmff…”

“-Oh?” Nosam stopped, viewing something strange when they reached the park. “…Aliehs, what is that?” It was a mysterious double-door with forest designs. When they both stepped a little closer, the door opened like an elevator, exposing a swirling green vortex. “Aliehs… do you know what this is?”

“I don’t _care_. …”

“It is the answer to my problem! Surely, within this swirling wonder, I will find the perfect gift to give to my sweet Lorac! It will be the present to make her understand, we are soul mates, bounded by love and fate. OHHHHH I CANNOT WAIT TO GET IN THERE AND SEE WHAT IT IS!” Fast as lightning, Nosam pulled Aliehs into the strange portal.

From behind some tiny pebbles, a group of mischievous Minish kids snickered evilly and high-fived. “Stupid humans! Okay, let’s go put the beehive in that other kid’s teddybear…” They snuck away to let their prank play out.

**Dnalhsa, West Ainigriv**

Two 5-year-old girls sat politely at a park table, leisurely drinking tea. They were near identical cousins, one had blonde hair, the other had brown hair. But what really made them stand out were their cat ears and tails. They were approached by a brown-haired girl in a red shirt, and horizontal blue stripe through its middle. “Hi, Calil. Hi, Yrreb. What’re you guys doing today?” Yddam asked with a modest expression.

“Having tea, SMARTY-PANTS.” Calil remarked.

“Don’t be rude, Cal.” Yrreb told her.

“That’s cool. But wouldn’t you like… I dunno, running around and playing tag? You are werecats.”

“Only ‘cause our moms were stupid.” Calil stated.

“What she means is, we don’t wanna get too into it, we might start behaving like animals. I wouldn’t wanna eat poor little bugs by accident.” Yrreb frowned.

“You two should explore your animal instincts more! You’re lucky to be born with cool powers, you should be happy about them.” Yddam smiled.

“Eh… I dunno…”

“YO YO LADEEEES! Gome ‘ere and see my NEW AAAABS!” a boy’s voice called across the park.

“Uck… it’s Trepur.” Calil hissed.

“Let’s go, Cal.” The girls grabbed their teapots and walked away slowly.

Yddam was about to walk away ‘til she bumped into some- “DON’T HURT ME!” Both exclaimed, shuddering with fear. When they saw who it was, they blushed and laughed embarrassedly.

“Oh, it’s um… it’s you, Sirhc.” Yddam grinned.

“Hehe. Hi, Yddam.” Sirhc said goofily. “I thought you were… someone else.”

“Hehe. Me too.”

“… … …”

“So, um, what’s the haps?” she asked.

“Um, just… nothing. Nerehc got caught for trying to frame his Positive yesterday. Glad that’s over. …”

“Hey, Sirhc… do you ever worry about our Positives? If we die the same time as they do, w-what if something happens to them?”

“Well, um, I think both of our deaths are by chance. I think if like, um if my Positive walked off a cliff, I would get hit by a car, o-or something. It’s just, b-based on coincidence, you know?”

“That sounds scary. …”

“W-Well, as long as we stay in our world, I think it’s usually safest.”

“That’s good… Sigh. I wonder what _my_ Positive is like. I bet she’s got really cool superpowers. A-And she’s really tough.”

“I’d be a little worried of meeting her… she might be pretty scary.” Sirhc whimpered. “Not like you, Yddam. You’re the only one that gets me.” He smiled weakly.

“Gee. Thank you, Sirhc.” Weak smile. “I’d really like to-”

“HEY HEEEEEY!” Trepur Noskcid popped up from between and wrapped arms around them. “WASSUP, chumpettes? Havin’ one of your pansy chats?”

“W-Whaddyou want, Trepur?!” Sirhc exclaimed.

“I couldn’t help but overhear, you big kids are a couple-o wimps, and I was reminded of someone ELSE who was like that. Right, Daaaaaad?”

His father, Dahc Noskcid, sat in the car as he trembled. “Y-Y-Yes, S-Son…”

“Yeah, my dad is a sissy, but that don’ mean I can’t bump YOU guys into shape. Which is why I’ve rented an old classic movie called _Nalum_.”

“But I HATE _Naluuum_!” whined Yddam.

“TOO BAD!” Trepur tossed them some mops and pulled out a boombox. “The song/dance is on!” He switched it on and began to sing.

_LET’S get down to busi-NESS!_

_To please… your meeen!_ The two were forced to mop the park grounds.

_DID they send me SONS now_

_When I asked… for womeeeen!_

_You’re the happiest bunch I never knew_

_But probly so: after we’re through…_

_Missus, I’ll… make a LADY… outta YOOOUU!_

At the laundry mat, Yddam and Sirhc were collecting a lot of peoples’ laundry and throwing them in washers.

_VIOLENT as an OCEAN_

_‘Til it fin…ally cooools._

_ONCE you find your OUT, SIDE_

_No doubt… you’ll looooose!_

The two were then annoyedly fixing diapers on babies.

_You’ve got guts—a colorful, envious lot_

_And clearly you got many a cluuuue._

_This way I’LL… make a LADY… out of YOOOOUU!_

And so, the duo performed a series of chores as the chorus sang.

 _(Be a LADY) Must be stiff as the standing mountain._ They drove to the store to grab loads of groceries.

 _(A LADY!) The gentleness of the calmest breeze._ They wore aprons and cooked food in the kitchen.

 _(A LADY!) All the weakness of the flickering candle._ Vacuuming in the living room.

 _As opeeeen aaaas the brightneeeess oooof THE SUUUUUUN!_ And so, they passed out on bed, tired and worn.

“Ummmm… Trepur?” Sirhc spoke.

“Yeeeees?”

“WHAT DID THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?!” His outburst blew Trepur away.

“What? Women are tough. And that’s just what they do.” He smirked. “So by whipping you ladies into shape like them, you’ll have bulging muscles in no-” The mop bucket was suddenly shoved over his head.

“There you are, Yddam.” Her brother, Hcaz stated. He wore a yellow shirt with a brown stripe, had smooth black hair, and green eyes behind glasses. “I thought you were talking to those catgirls again. Come on, let’s ditch this creep. You can come too, Sirhc.”

He took Yddam’s hand and led her away, with Sirhc frightfully joining. Trepur just stood with the bucket over his head. “Sigh… so this is why the movie didn’t sell well. Well, guess I’ll just listen to _Molten_.” He pushed the boombox again.

_LEAVE IT IIIIIIN_

_Leave it iiiiin_

_Just come here and open the doooooor._

**Down the sidewalk**

“So what were you two doin’ with Trepur again?” Hcaz asked.

“Well, h-he just showed up outta nowhere, and um, started teaching us how to do woman stuff.”

“If you were gonna go out on your own anyway, I would expect you to handle yourself. I keep telling you, if someone’s bullying you, it’s _below_ the belt, can’t you ever remember that?”

“Y-You keep talking about all these ways to fight, I can’t remember them all!! Why couldn’t I have superpowers like everyone else…”

“‘Cause I don’t want you associating with those creeps.” Hcaz jabbed a finger scoldingly. “When they aren’t acting like snobs, they’re acting like idiots. I don’t wanna be related to anyone like that.”

“You don’t like me ANYWAY, Hcaz! You NEVER help me!”

“I saved you from Musclebod, but that’s a once-a-moon generosity. I’m not giving you any sympathy, if you wanna succeed in this world, you have to do things on your own. And I’d keep an eye on Sirhc in that sense too, never know when he’s gonna break.” Sirhc gulped in fright. “Anyway, Mr. Yllej’s captured a bunch of kids to test his cavitifyer, so Nerehc called me to go beat him up. Later, Sis.” With that, he let them be.

“Stupid brother.” Yddam huffed as they kept walking. “He’s just a big dumb jerk.”

“It’s okay, Yddam.” Sirhc smiled. “I would help you with a problem, but, well, I don’t think I have the strength.”

“Hmm… I guess you don’t. Too bad you couldn’t have your brother’s powers. I don’t even see how I got in DNK. What worth do I have next to those benders and metahumans? Why isn’t the DNK run by them more than us… _normals_?”

“I-I guess it’s along the lines of… a diversity thing. You know, having all sorts of different types makes us unique. That’s one thing you have to admire about-” In that brief second, he fell through a hole in the sidewalk.

“SIRRRHC!” Yddam found the sewer lid was removed from its place, and Sirhc fell in its trap.

She climbed down the ladder and saw her friend flowing fast down the rapid water. “AAAAHH! YDDAM! HELP! HELP! I CAN’T SWIM! The shape and structure of water always scared me as a child, so I never took lessons!! PLEASE SAVE MEEEEE!”

“B-B-But you’re going too fast, how’m I supposed to-”

“You can do it, Ydd!” Trepur told her from above. “Just remember: just stop walking, just stop walking, just stop walking, walking, walking, what, are ya s’posed to do heeeere, obviously it isn’t WAAAALK!” He sang and danced.

As rare as she thought it would happen, Yddam felt a strange surge of courage and determination. “I’m coming, Sirhc!” She dove headfirst in the filthy river and swam after Sirhc with great speed. Several oil drums and huge trash pieces impeded her progress, but she either dodged underneath or leaped over, swimming as nimbly as a mermaid. Unfortunately, her friend was drawing closer to a waterfall, and was just seconds from plummeting to the bottom.

“AAAAAHHH! HURRY, YDDAAAAMM!”

She couldn’t brush her arms any faster, but Sirhc was already over the edge. “NO!” She dove underneath and spun like a torpedo, shooting down the falls like a drill through the ground. When Sirhc was seconds from hitting the bottom, Yddam clutched his hand tight and propelled the two of them out of the falls, kicked off the parallel wall, and back inside the fall as she Torpedo Spun her way back up. She flew several feet above the river once she made it, and pulled Sirhc along ‘til they got back to safe land.

**Posiverse**

Chris Uno was walking casually down the sidewalk, passing a fire hydrant when- “WAAAAH!” he slipped on a banana peel, flew up in the air, and plopped on the ground, his head missing the hydrant by a few inches. He looked with fright at how shiny and pointy it was. “Hu… that coulda ended badly.”

**Negaverse**

“Huff, huff… you saved my life, Yddam!” Sirhc grinned, heart still racing. “You were amazing!”

“Hehehe… thank you, Sirhc.” She blushed. “It was no big deal.”

“No big deal?! I’d almost say you were a MERMAID if not for those legs! I don’t think I mentioned this, but, I’ve always had a thing for mermaids. They’re just sooooooo pretty.” He said with googly eyes.

 _“Mermaids are nice, but I prefer to be-”_ Trepur began before playing his stereo.

_Above the sky_

_ABOVE THE SKY!_

_Above the sky_

_ABOVE THE SKY!_

_Up where it’s cooler, up where it’s bluer, take it from HE!_

They eye-rolled. “Hehe… really, it was nothing. I like to swim, but, anyone can do it. Why should I gloat about it?”

“Because, Yddam, it’s your special talent.” Sirhc took her hands and looked with warming eyes. “Even if it’s a skill anyone else can do, it’s a talent you were born with. And, well… I like you much better this way than with some scary power. You shouldn’t idolize them so much.”

“But… Sirhc… don’t you ever wish you had Nerehc’s powers?”

“No way! I might accidentally shock myself, or set my bed on fire, and what if I get stuck in a Dark Portal?? Huhuhuhuhuhu! It’s too scary to think about.”

“I didn’t think of it that way. But still… having a _little_ power wouldn’t hurt. I probably won’t go for it, anyway…”

“Heh, at least we aren’t as weak as Ahcom in Sector W7.” Sirhc laughed as they climbed out of the sewer.

“Heh heh heh. Yeah, what a wimp.”

**Negative Sector W7 Treehouse**

“Mmmmm, mmmm, mmmmmm!” Ahcom, the very short, feeble girl from -W7, couldn’t for the life of her pick up this Aknow Bar. “Why is this so HEEEAAVYYYYY?”

**Dnalevelc Park**

After successfully breaking into a bank, Lorac was on her way to give her spoils to anyone but her. She dreaded encountering her sneaky little stalker again, but at least he was easy to ditch. She watched as a little brown puppy scampered up from ahead, panting happily and licking Lorac around the legs. “Uck, get! Go away!” she yelled, trying to kick him. As kind as she was, she just wasn’t an animal person, and was always annoyed when they drew a liking to her. “Stupid dog! …?” But when the puppy sat and panted with a smile, she noticed a couple strange dots on its little black nose. She loomed closer and squinted her eyes. The left dot was too dark to make out, but the right one had distinctly noticeable, big heart eyes.

“AAAAAHHH! AT LAST, MY DREAMS HAVE COME TRUE, FOR MY LOVELY LORAC HAS GROWN GIGANTIIIC!” screamed the tiny, ant-size Nosam, his gloomy companion Aliehs seated beside him. “AT LAST, I WILL NOW PLEASE YOU ON A MUCH GRANDER SCALE, MY LUSCIOUS BEAUTY OF PERFECTIOOOON!”

“Whatever…” said Aliehs glumly.

“…” With a furrowed face, Lorac flicked the bitesize stalker right off the dog’s nose.

“YOUR STRENGTH IS INCREDULOUS, MY LOVELY-” he screamed before crashing.

 

**Yeeeeaaaahh big surprise. XP If Nerehc got effected by the Minish Door, Nosy and Ali would fall victim to it, too. XP So now you can obviously tell where this is on the timeline, the course of this story sorta goes along with the Posiverse’s time. To an extent. So next time, a tale of _Nosam and the Hsinim Door_. Just can’t have a story without it. X/ All in all, wasn’t too fond of this one. But I think in later chapters, I’ll also include mini-stories so we can look at more Negatives quicker. Sooo… later.**

**…**

**…**

**_Listen to “Leave It In” on tunesI now, along with many hit Yensid singles, such as “Same Half World” from Niddala, “Climb A Lot Higher” from Prince and the Fly, and “This Isn’t Christmas” from The Dream After Halloween._ **


	3. Nosam and the Hsinim Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lorac must help the shrunken Nosam and Aliehs get back to normal size. Meanwhile, a similar scenario happens to Nerehc Onu and Ininap.

**As if Nosam couldn’t be excited enough… ;3 And yes, Fourze, they are based off the Edolas parallels from _Fairy Tail_. ;)**

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Chapter -18: Nosam and the Hsinim Door

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**Dnalevelc Park**

“AAAAAAHHH! Finally, my lovely Lorac has taken a form in my view most suiting to heeeerrr!” The itsy-bitsy Nosam was joyously hugging Lorac’s toe, much to her disbelief. “Whatever you command, My Dearest, I am your humble servant and can never match up to your-” She quickly pinned him under her toe.

“Ummmm… right. You mind telling me how this happened?” she asked Aliehs.

“Sigh, we went in, like… this door… thingy… and it was all swirly… I dunno.”

“’Twas fate it happened, for now I will show love to my Lorac like never before! Know that no size will disrupt me from being your Nosy!”

Lorac eye-rolled and stepped off of Nosam, picking him and Aliehs up in her fingernails. “Well, as less annoying as you’d be this way, I can’t just leave you like this. I’ll help you two get back to normal.”

“Just like my Lorac, to show kindness to all those in need, no matter who it’d be! Even this useless sap.”

“Big deal…” said Aliehs.

“I have a feeling who’s responsible, too. Lemme take you to your treehouse first. ..?”

“RUFF, RUFF!” The little puppy was still panting happily.

“I taught him how to love and respect you!” Nosam said goofily. “But what creature wouldn’t love someone so considerate?”

“…” Lorac sent the dog flying yards away with a mighty kick. “Let’s go.” She began the walk to the treehouse.

“WHAT A LUCKY CREATURE TO RECEIVE SUCH AN EXUBERANT KICK!”

**Rehgallag Elementary**

Rehgallag Elementary: a school with dark classrooms, cold-hearted teachers, and prune juice oiling grounds for a playground. But as gloomy as this school was… there was light in it. For a very important treaty was taking place. Between -1st-grade President, Eissej Yendis and -4th-grade President, Yllehs Nosnhoj. Both leaders marched up on stage, the 7-year-old who spoke very politely with appropriate language, and the modest 9-year-old who treated everyone with respect, and always dressed in winter clothing wherever she went; a purple coat with a hood, black pants, black shoes, and brown mittens.

Both presidents signed the paper before a -5th-grade boy took it away. “We, the Presidents of the Nega-First and Nega-Fourth Grades, hereby establish the Treaty of Playing Nice, promising to never pick on each other again!” Yllehs proclaimed.

“And let us also mark the beginning of a brand new friendship!” Eissej spoke happily before hugging Yllehs. “For as long as we belong to the same school, we must follow the same rule:”

“TEACHERS SUCK NUTS!!” his sister, Ydnas screamed, a very impolite, potty-mouthed girl.

_“HEY! THAT’S NOT APPROPRIATE!”_

“Yes, Ydnas, please do not say that.” Eissej told her. “Though what she is saying has meaning, teachers are very unkind people and we must stick together to oppress them!”

_“YAAAAAY!”_

“And to celebrate this union, everyone is welcome to SKATE IN MY ICE RIIIINK!” And using her icebending, Yllehs turned the gym floor to solid ice.

The children joyfully skied around while Yllehs and Eissej sat on a bench, smiling at their happiness. “Best thing that could have happened to this school.”

“I’m so glad we’re all friends now!” Yllehs beamed. “But there’s no president like you, Eissej.”

“Why, nonsense, Yllehs, you were a terrific leader. Despite that you seem to slump in all of our contests. Namely soccer. Perhaps you’d play better without all that Winter wear.”

“I can’t help it, I just feel so cold, I feel like I’ll freeze if I don’t keep warm. I know I’m an icebender, but…”

“Pardon me, Miss.” Yllehs was approached by her vice-president, Ednolal Notselgge. “But considering our newly expanded fighting force, perhaps we’d best take notice of those nasty DNK fellows.”

“Oh, the DNK aren’t hurting anyone—except each other—let’s just leave ’em alone. I don’t wanna get caught up in some war.”

“…Hm.” She looked smugly. “We don’t always get what we wish for, Dearest.” On that note, she walked away.

**Nega-Sector V Treehouse**

Still not much activity with all these lazy kids. Nollid was on the floor studying a book as Eirik came over. “Hey, NOLLID. Whatcha DOIN’?” she asked in her smug tone.

“Spell book my mom gave me. Looking for a good spell to shut that yap of yours.”

“Know what ya REALLY need to shut?” She kicked the book away. “YOUR STUPID GLAND! Hyaaaaa ha haaaa!” She walked away.

“Siiiigh.”

“Hup!” They looked to the window as Lorac climbed in very agilely. “Sorry for intruding, guys.”

“Lorac, we keep telling you we don’t like you barging in." Nollid stated. “What is it this time?”

“Excuse me for trying to help your friends. See for yourself.” She approached him and held out both hands, revealing the two on her fingernails. Her left nails seemed fairly clean compared to the others. Nollid could see it was lovey-dovey Nosam who cleaned them.

“Now my lovely Lorac’s nails can shine as bright as her heart! Then I shall proceed to her golden forest of hair!”

“Oh geez.” Nollid face-palmed. “I can’t leave you alone without you embarrassing yourself.”

“My embarrassment is worth it, for this lovely angel!” His face with heart eyes didn’t change.

“Well, you can fix him, can’t you?” Lorac asked. “You do practice magic.”

“Yeah, but I’m only so good at it. Besides… I kinda like him as is.”

“What does that mean?”

“I mean that Nosam’s just annoying, and Aliehs doesn’t bring life to this party. They’re both just burdens.”

“But they’re your friends!”

“Not really. We’re just a bunch of kids who were assigned the same, boring treehouse. Barely any of us like each other-” Eirik suddenly slapped the back of his head.

“KEEP YOUR GUARD UP, JEDI! Ha ha haaaaa!” She walked away.

“PSYCHICS are Jedi, I’M A WIZARD! Sigh…”

“But how can you even work together if you feel that way?” Lorac questioned.

“Not like we get much work. Heck, Arorua barely cares what we do, even. So if Nosy and Gloomy stay tiny, I’m alrighty.”

“Uh-! You’re the worst!” Lorac stomped off. She decided to approach Yrrah, who was still fixing a machine. “Yrrah?”

“Ah!” He bumped his head on its hood. “What isth it, Lorac, I’m trying to work!”

“Don’t you have any grow rays or something?”

“Of coursthe not, you know we can never get thosthe to work. Why don’t you do the inversthe of what got ’em that way, anyway?”

“Because I think they walked in a Hsinim Door, and Hsinim are always playing pranks on people. They never undo ’em easily either, I don’t think they’ll help.”

“Then go visthit Innus and Ycrad in the Senippilihp, they’re great psthycbenders, maybe they will help.”

“Can you take me to them?”

“I don’t care any more than he does, I’m busthy.” With that, he went back to work.

“…Hmph.” Finally taking the hint, she hopped out the window and climbed down the treehouse. “I guess I can just sneak on a boat and go there myself. But how can you two work with such jerks?”

“It does not matter, for I have you, Lorac!” Nosam proclaimed.

“Doesn’t matter anyway, since life is just a big game…” Aliehs moaned.

“…Siiiigh.” Lorac frowned sadly, finally understanding why they acted the way they do. They really were a troubled lot.

**Dnalevelc Park**

“Great to have you back, Master Nerehc!” stuttered Ininap Yksvolird as she and Nerehc walked to the park. She was Nerehc’s assistant on Moonbase, and by ‘assistant’, she was more or less his servant. She was always intimidated by his power and obeyed whatever order he gave, in exchange he wouldn’t reward her with lightning. “Just so ya know, Moonbase is still lookin’ excellent, a baseball flew into yer office, so I cleaned up the glass, got cut a little, and Ay almost suffocated in space when the glass wall got broke, but all’s worth it to keep yer work short, he he!”

“Yeah, whatever, I hope you got me that ice cream I ordered.”

“R-R-Right here, Sir.” She held up a cherry ice cream, arm shaking.

He smacked it to the ground. “That’s CHERRY! I ordered BLURPLEBERRY! CAN’T YOU GET IT RIGHT?!”

“I, I-I, I, I’m sorry, Master!” Her legs turned wobbly.

“Well you’re GONNA be.” She turned away when Nerehc threatened to slap, “NEXT time you better-” But something caught both of their attention. A strange, double-door with forest designs just sitting in plain sight. “…Wonder what that is?”

The two curiously stepped closer as the door opened, a green portal spiraling before their eyes. “It-It’s a… portal.”

“Wow…”

“Where do you think it leads?”

“One way to find out… you go in.”

She freaked, “B-B-But it’s scary!”

“You got my ice cream wrong, it’s the LEAST you could do.”

“G-G-Go in with me!”

“Why should I?”

“B-Because yer the only one that could protect me. Please?”

“Sigh… alright. But you’re not getting nuggets.”

“Y-Yes, Sire.” Her nervous grin came back.

So with that, both kids walked in as the doors shut. _“Woooohhhhh-ooOOOooohhh.”_ It was a strange, wobbly sensation.

**Rehgallag Elementary Library**

The library was bustling with students chatting loudly amongst themselves. After all, in the Negaverse, the rule was to keep a library loud, and instead of books, they sold videogames. Well, until just a couple years ago, they suddenly began to sell books. The madness, I tell you, madness.

Lorac was able to sneak in through all this madness and seat herself at a computer, letting Nosam and Aliehs rest on the table. “Okay, we’re going to see if any ships or something are heading to the Senippilihp, then we’ll have to sneak on.”

“My lovely Lorac devotes so much time and energy to those other than herself, it makes me absolutely gaga!” Nosam expressed.

“Uh-huh. Now, if it would just turn on…” She impatiently tapped the mouse rapidly, but the screen stayed blank. “TURN ON, YOU STUPID THING!!” Teeth becoming sharp, she shook it with the greatest anger. “WORK, OR ELSE!!”

“Sigh, you’re doing it wrong.” Aliehs stated, walking toward an opening in the device.

“Huh?”

“First, you have to push that button on the bottom, but now it’s probably broken with you shaking it, so we’ll have to fix it.” She entered an opening as some drilling and pounding was heard inside. She climbed back out, “Done.”

With that, Lorac pushed said button, and it came on instantly. “Oh… so, uh, where do I type stuff in at?”

“Internet Explorer, I guess…”

“My Dearest Lorac is so adorable when her face is so baffled and angry!”

After 5 minutes, she finally found the ‘Internet Explorer’ icon and clicked it. …Then it took about 2 minutes for her to realize she had to click twice. She then entered any boat schedules from Ainigriv to Senippilihp. “Why boats, anyway?” Aliehs asked.

“’Cause they’re easier to sneak on than planes.”

“My lovely Lorac knows how to think ahead!”

“Aaaaaaha! The _Microscopic_ leaves in 45 minutes. I should be able to make it if I steal someone’s bike, let’s go!” She grabbed her companions and rushed outside.

“Yet engages in thievery if for the right reasons, you’re marvelous, Lorac!”

Lorac grabbed a fallen bike beside the bike rack and quickly sped downtown, much to the protests of Ekim Mragnorts, the bike’s owner. “HEY, GIVE IT BACK- WHOOA!” He tripped on his untied shoelaces.

“Dude, she uses it better than you do.” a boy said.

“Yeah… you’re right.”

**Negative Sector V’s neighborhood**

“NYAAAAA!” Ininap screamed like a banshee as Nerehc carried her and flew over the neighborhood at great speed, hurriedly avoiding a swarm of giant butterflies. Well, the butterflies were normal, but the kids were just… really tiny. Also, butterflies are evil in this world, so yes.

Nerehc flew them to the ground and crouched in a sidewalk gap, successfully hiding from the bugs. They began to catch their breath as Ininap was still shaking. “YOU IDIOT!” Nerehc slapped Ininap. “I TOLD you we shouldn’t have gone in that door!”

“B-B-B-But, I SAID we shouldn’t go in, Sir!”

“Well, you should’ve STOPPED me if you were so sure. Be more persuasive next time!”

“Y-Y-Y-Yes, Master Nerehc. . .” She weakly saluted.

“Siiigh. Anyway, what are we supposed to do about this? Stupid door won’t open.”

“Sh-Sh-Shouldn’t we get somebody’s help? L-Like your mum?”

“What?! Heck no! My mom HATES bugs, she’ll scorch me and eat me alive!”

“B-But you’re her son. .”

“Yeah, so I know enough to know she’ll crush me like a Hsinim. Heck, she kills BIRDS for dinner.”

“B-But she loves ya… doesn’t she?”

Nerehc looked down. “No. She doesn’t love anyone. She’s not like all those happy-go-lucky losers in the Posiverse. Heck, I don’t think anyone here would…”

Ininap frowned. Nerehc looked so deep in thought. She’s never seen that look on his face. Like he was wondering how to finish this sentence. Or contemplating how what he was gonna say would be true.

He shook, “What’m I saying, I’m Supreme Leader! We’re flying to Sector V so they can do something about this. Nollid’s a mage or something, a little tiny spark to the heart will convince him.” With that, he took Ininap’s hand and flew for the distant treehouse.

**Dnalevelc Harbor**

Of all massive, imposing ships getting ready to sail from the harbor, none was smaller than the _Microscopic_ , the cheapest cruise liner nega-money can buy. Of course, “cheap” is actually better in this world, that’s why only a few people could get on. But small as it was, it released just as much toxic fumes into the air. Once all the passengers were onboard, it sailed off for Senippilihp. Lorac was hurriedly swimming after it from under the sea, having to keep her eyes shut from the trail of oil. She swam a good distance beneath the ship and swam up more quickly, shooting partway up the boat as she gripped its side tight. She arduously climbed onto the deck and avoided attention from the guards, hopping her way onto a roof beneath one of the chimneys.

“PLEH.” She coughed Nosam and Aliehs, who were waiting inside her mouth, into her hand. “Sorry about that, you two. But it would be better than breathing oil.”

“Your consideration makes it all worth it!” Nosam said lovingly. “And what sweet breath.”

She set the two down beside her. “It’s not the best place we coulda slept… but it’ll work.” She then rolled on her side, lying her head on her folded hands. “We should be able to make it undiscovered until tomorrow. Good night, you two.”

“But my lovely Lorac, how can I possibly sleep, when such a golden beauty lays before me!” Nosam expressed. “Please, allow me to sacrifice my sleep in ensuring yours is a peaceful one!”

“I don’t want you to, Nosam.”

“Then perhaps I may serve as a 1/25 extra pillow! Your lovely head needs as much cushioning as possible, no matter how small! Or perhaps I shall rub your weary feet, so they may have all the rest they need for tomorrow-”

She sat up, “For the last time, Nosam, I don’t want your help, and I don't LOVE you. I care about you as a friend, but I don’t wanna be with someone who thinks about me %-100 of the time! What is so great about me, you have to worship me like a goddess?”

“B-Because you’re so great and beautiful and perfect! I would do anything to be able to stay with you forever!”

“Well, you can just stop it, because I’m NOT perfect and I will never love you that way. And as soon as we get you back to normal, I want you to just leave me alone. You’re annoying and clingy and obsessive, and I want you to STOP it.” She rolled back on her side, back facing them, and tried to force herself to sleep.

Even Nosam wasn’t blind enough by these hearts to not understand. She was far too perfect for him… and she knew it. “…WAAAAAAAHHH-HA-HA-HAAAAAAA!”

“Good _grief_.” eye-rolled Aliehs.

Nosam took a big breath and- “WAAAAAAAHHH!” let the stream of tears flow.

**Rehgallag Elementary**

School was dismissed, so President Yllehs’s office was abandoned. Ednolal Notselgge searched around cautiously before confirming it safe to sneak in. She walked up to her computer and brought up a screen with a shadowed person. _“Hello, Agent -α. What’s the status of the Earth DNK?”_

“Unfortunately, I couldn’t get those foolish presidents to wage war against them. It may take some time, but I will have to improvise.”

_“Just do something soon! All we have to do is take Sector V hostage so their leader will be forced to surrender. Having a bunch of super-powered freaks like them in our team will make us invincible.”_

“You don’t have to worry, Numbuh -4860. A few of the computer cool kids claim they saw that poor girl with a couple of… ‘shrimps.’ And another of my accomplices say they saw the Supreme Leader and his servant enter some magic door. I am looking into this, but I understand the poor girl intends to get to the Senippilihp, on ship.”

 _“Perfect. We’ll call the Anaeco DNK and-”_ His finger was suddenly forced up his nose. _“Wah!”_

 _“Hm hm hm! Digging for gold, Brother?”_ a girl laughed.

 _“Annaira, stop bloodbending me! WAH!”_ He was forcibly spanking himself.

_“You’ve been a bad, bad BOY, Atnort!”_

_“Stooooop!”_

“I’ll just… leave you be.” With that, Ednolal ended transmission.

**Negative Sector V Treehouse**

From the view of a normal-sized person, it would look like a purple firefly flew into the window and took land on the kitchen table. In reality, it was Nerehc and Panini, who really needed to catch their breath. “Huff, huff… man, that took a lot outta me. Fighting Cheren was easier.”

“I hope we can get somebody’s attention.” Ininap shuddered.

But it was then some giant footsteps caught their attention, and they saw Akurah walking in. “We just might.” Nerehc smirked. “HEEEY! AKURAAAAH!”

As she walked by, Akurah could’ve sworn some bug was calling to her. “Hm?”

“YES! ’EY! AKURAH! HELP US OUT, WILL YA?” Ininap screamed, hopping like a rabbit.

“Wow, never heard you yell that loud before.” Nerehc remarked.

“Hehe, it’s all for your benefit, Nerry.” She blushed.

“…” A wicked smile formed on Akurah’s face. “Awww, what cute little bugs.”

**The _Microscopic_**

Lorac’s been asleep for who knows how long… even if she could afford a watch, telling time was impossible in this world. But when her eyes peeped open, she found a watery barrier above her, seeming to catch black snowflakes and toss them over the side. She glanced right and saw Nosam was controlling that water. “Nosam… You?…” She was still half-asleep.

“The smoke was dropping little ash, and, well, I didn’t want any falling in your mouth.” She couldn’t see it, but his eyes were very red.

“Oh… well, that could’ve been bad. But where’d you get all this water?”

“My tears… it’s okay… I’m over it now. Yaaaaawn.”

“Hm hm.” Lorac chuckled. “You don’t have to, anymore. I’ll be fine.”

“Yaaaaaaawn.” He pulled the water back to him and stuffed some in his bottles.

“…” They were silent for a long time. Even if he was really tired, Nosam would be drooling over Lorac by now. He must’ve been pretty upset. She felt a little awkward about it, even. “Nosam… about last night… I’m sorry about what I said. You just… well, get on my nerve sometimes. You’re a sweet guy and all, but I want you to have a better life than devoting your time and attention to one person ALL the time.”

“I know, Lorac… I’m sorry.”

“…” She smiled, “Hm hm, you’ll have to speak up, you’re so teeny. Here.” She scooped him in her pinky nail and placed Nosam in her left ear.

“…Hehe. You have a lot of wax.” His voice echoed in her cave-like ear. “Want me to clean it?”

“Hm-hm, okay. I guess I could hear you better.”

Using the water from his bottles, he scooped small portions of earwax at a time and tossed them out the ear. “To be honest, Nosam, I think I understand why you like me so much.”

“Hm?” He tossed another scoop out.

“Those friends of yours are awful. When one of their teammates is in trouble… they don’t even care. How does your organization even function?”

“It just… does. It lasted for at least -5,000 years, ’course it got a little better -20 years ago.”

“But still… I can’t imagine why a team would hate each other so much. I feel like this whole world is nothing but darkness. People are mean to each other, and the sky’s always so gloomy… when I give money to all those kids, I wonder if they’re even grateful, or just mocking me behind my back.”

“Why don’t you just keep the money for yourself, Lorac?”

“Because I always thought that money makes people crazy. In those fairytales I used to read, those princes and princesses were mean to everyone, and they only loved each other because of their money. That’s why I didn’t wanna be like that. I wanted to feel like I was more… free. Free from that stuff that turns people evil.”

“Mmm… well, I think you’re a great person, Lorac.” He was almost finished cleaning the ear. “And you know… maybe that is why I wanted you in our sector. Why I loved you so much. You were just so… nice. Even my sister would wanna poison me if she saw me like this.”

“I know. …” She glanced to her ear, “You know, Nosam, after you’re normal again, maybe I will go out with you.”

“You will?!” His excitement was rising incredibly.

“But just… promise you won’t try too hard. Okay? Just erase your mind of all desires trying to impress me, and just go on like I’m… just a really close friend. Okay?”

“Heheh… okay.” But deep down, Nosam was shouting, _YEEEEEES YESYESYESYEEEES, MY LOVELY LORAC WISHES TO BE WITH ME, I WILL NOT LET HER DOOOOOWN!_

Meanwhile, Aliehs was merely sitting on the edge, looking at the sea with very little interest. “…Mm?” But if she did care in the least, a spot in the sea was bubbling.

The quiet was immediately disturbed when six columns of water rose around the small ship and launched at the trio. “AAAAAHH! What’s happeniiiiing??”

Lorac, Nosam, and Aliehs were sealed inside a sphere of water as six merchildren plopped down on the roof. “So, you think these are the kids we were asked to find?” a mermaid with dark-red hair smirked.

“Unless some other poor girl with smallified humans is laying around here, they might be.” a merboy replied.

“Whaddo you guys WANT?!” demanded Lorac, voice staticky thanks to the spinning water sphere.

“Nothing personal, toots, but we’re not lookin’ to have our organs rearranged.” a nasal-voiced merman replied.

“Let’s go, you fools.” And with that, the merkids dove back in the sea, pulling their hostages along. In the distance, that nightmarish aquatic realm came into view: Anaeco.

**Dnalhsa, West Ainigriv**

The sun was over West Ainigriv, but the sky was too filled with clouds for sun to be seen. Regardless, one particular -7-year-old made it a very sunny day. Ynohtna EiznekCm kicked his front door open with his big white sneakers and joyously marched outside. “YAAAAY! WednesDAY, WednesDAY, whaaat a HAPPY DAY TODAAAY! It’s nooo different from eeevery daaaay, ’cause it’s ALL A HAP-PY day, YAAAAY!”

He approached his teammates, Yllas and Yevrah Reprah, who were playing with their favorite toys, ball-in-the-cup, in which Yevrah was much better at catching his ball in the cup. “Hello, Yllas! HELLO, Yevrah! Isn’t it a wonderful day today?”

“Moderately.” Yllas replied tonelessly.

“Not sweet.”

“Come on! It’s a happy day!” He wrapped arms around them. “Turn those frowns upside-down and let’s be HAPPYYYY!”

“Hey, you’re right, Ynohtna!” Yevrah beamed. “It IS a good day today! You should go spread the joy to EVERYONE else!”

“YAAAAY! Dah, dah, daaaah!” He marched away, “Wednesdaaay!” Yllas and Yevrah went back to boredly playing their toys.

“Finally, just go away…” Yllas mumbled. Like any DNK sector, the teammates didn’t like each other, and they were really annoyed with Ynohtna. Although he was oblivious to their dislike to him, he was always so happy.

“Dah, daaaaah!” He skipped his way to Aenara Thgirbluf, a girl a few inches taller than him. “Heeey, Naraaaa! How’s the weather up theeeere? I bet it’s FIIIINE! Dah, daaaah!”

“Sigh,” she rolled her eyes, “YES, Ynohtna, bright and fine like EVERY other day.”

“Huhuhu, I know it is, silly!” He hugged her waist. “I wish I was tall as you, taking in all that warmth and sunlight, well there’s no sunlight, but I bet you feel it better than everyone else!”

“Well, Ibyf could feel it, too… speakin’ of which, why don’t you go pester her?” She winked.

“Good IDEA! La, la, la laaaa!” He skipped to his treehouse, Aenara shaking her head in disbelief. Even though she was annoyed with his positive spirit, she had to admit she sort of liked him.

“HEY, Iby!” the boy cheered, barging into her dark room in the treehouse. Sitting in the corner, with only a faint desk lamp, a frizzy-haired angel girl with heart-shaped wings, and a very withered face, was doing homework. “How’s your shiny day? ?”

“…Siiiiigh.” She couldn’t sound more aggravated. “What… Ynohtna?”

“Why are you in heeeere! It’s a great day today, and GREAT for flying! Why don’t you ever fly, Ibyf?”

“Sigh, because in case you forgot, we have tons of homework for school, and I don’t see our future getting any brighter if we neglect to do it.”

“Awwww what’s the worst that can happen, Ibyf, take a little break! Let’s go flying through the clouds and enjoy this wonderful-”

She looked at him with terrifying, half-closed emerald eyes. “You want to know what could happen?” And at that moment, Ynohtna saw himself as an adult, torn-up clothes and in need of a shave as he lie in the street and held a cup up in the hopes people would drop money in.

Ynohtna shook out of this trance as Ibyf turned back to her work. “Now if you don’t mind… I have work.”

“…” Ynohtna left her to her work and returned home.

**Ynohtna’s House**

Ynohtna’s father, Yevrah EiznekCm (not to be confused with Ynohtna’s friend) was lain back on the couch and happily humming to a merry tune. He saw his son walk by with his head down. “Afternoon, Son! Back from enjoying this wonderful day already? You oughta try going without shoes, it makes your spirit more open!”

“No thanks, I… don’t really like dirt. …Hey, Dad… do you ever think we act… TOO happy sometimes?”

“Why ya think so, Son!” He sat up, still wearing a happy smile.

“Well, none of the others are ever happy and it’s not like we ever SEE a sun… you ever think we should try to look to our futures?”

“Son, did Ibyf fearbend you again?”

“…Yes.”

“Son, when all those people try to see the future, they’re blind in the present. Since they’re gonna act like that, it’s our job to remind them there’s fun and happiness in the present world! Heh, h-and it’s obvious the women of this house aren’t gonna do that. The point is, the future’s gonna turn out fine ’long as you keep yourself happy!”

“Yeah, you’re right, Dad! And it’s better than acting mean like Aunt Lehcar, or sour like Ibyf. She’s worse than Miss Akim. I’m gonna see if Little Sis wants to play! HEY, ELLEHCIM!”

_“Don’t wanna, Big Brother.”_

“Ahhhh, you silly sourpuss!”

“Just like her mum.” Yevrah smiled.

**Anaeco**

Anaeco: the darkest, reddest metropolis in the Negative Sea. An eerie red glow shone from the city lights and reflected off the bubble encasing the town. The constant pollution released into the sea has created more poisonbending merpeople than waterbending, and those that could waterbend studied more than their share of bloodbending. ’Course, it wasn’t like the art was illegal, what would be the harm in it?

In a DNK treehouse, Lorac was still held in the water sphere while Nosam and Aliehs were placed in air bubbles. “Well, that job wasn’t too hard.” said Nera, a merman with dark-red hair and orange skin. “Girl too poor to afford footwear and a couple pint-sized rodents, Her Excellency is being generous today.”

“Why did you guys kidnap us?!” Lorac questioned. “I know mermen don’t like humans very much, but that doesn’t give you any right to-”

“Pipe down, Girly.” the nasally-voiced merboy, Elyk said. “We’re just following the boss’s orders. More like the boss’s boss.”

 _“Do you mean that galactic dictator?”_ Nosam asked.

“Yes, that one.” Aras replied, a pink-haired mergirl. “A couple years ago, she found our city and forced us to join her empire. But in return, that friend of hers taught us bloodbending, which only the adults are allowed to learn to discipline us. So naturally, we’ve been enjoying our payback.”

“But that’s terrible!” Lorac proclaimed. “Neither of you should be using bloodbending! It’s a cruel power that only drives people-” One of the merkids forced her hand over her mouth with bloodbending.

“Yeah, well psychic’s pretty much the same way, yet no one does anything about THAT.” Elyk said. “Just how that dictator controls everyone, anyway. So, who’s keeping us from doing the same?”

Lorac used her other hand to pull the former away from her mouth. “Because it’s the wrong way to treat people, and just because that dictator does it, why do YOU all have to act the same?”

“Because that’s how the world is, Girly.” Aras stated. “Who reaches the top first wins, who possesses the greatest powers will be the victor. Aluben learned that, and she’s short from reaching there. And there’s certainly no time for friendships along the way.”

“…” Lorac only glared.

Nemas, a purple-haired merboy with light-purple skin, hurriedly swam over. “Hey, Supreme Leader’s coming! And that purple alien is with her.”

 _“Says the purple merman?”_ Nosam remarked.

“She’s the bloodbender.” he replied. “And you two would be easy to bend as water drops, so don’t think about running.”

A submarine designed like a fish with a water bubble windshield docked in their hideout as Amiak, the Merkid Leader, and Annaira, DNKG interrogation agent, and currently munching a turkey leg, stepped off and entered their living room. “Good afternoon, Sector -FIN. _Assuming it’s… then_ , so where’re the prisoners?” Amiak asked.

“Right here, Your Unambience.” Elyk said, presenting Nosam and Aliehs’s bubbles.

“Please! Take me, but don’t take Lorac!” Nosam wept. _“And take Aliehs, too.”_

 _“Whatever…”_ Aliehs sighed.

Annaira observed closely. “…He’s not the Supreme Leader.”

“Who?” Amiak asked.

“Why would _they_ be here?” Lorac questioned.

“Our info stated that the Earth DNK Leader and his servant walked into a strange door, which we’ve deduced as a Hsinim Door, and the ‘poor’ child was aiding a couple of shrimps. I take it to mean the four of you were effected.”

“So, Nerehc and Ininap went in there, too?” Nosam asked.

“Yes. Then we heard the poor one was bringing you to Senippilihp, so we called the mermutants to ambush you. Of course, if you were Nerehc, forcing you to submit to the Galactic Child Empire would be no hassle. Hmmm… but I guess I am on a wild goose chase coming here.” She bit another piece out of her turkey. “That’s okay, though… I don’t mind a little torture.” She grinned wickedly.

**Negative Sector V Treehouse**

“NYAAAAAAAAA!” Ininap was once again screaming as Nerehc flew her around the living room like little flies. Reason was, a crazy pigtailed girl was chasing them with a great purple cloud of poison. “WHY IS SHE DOING THIIIIIS!”

“I dunno! HEY, AKURAH! Get a GRIP, it’s US! Supreme Leader and Coward Ears!”

“Now now, little bugs, no need to be afwaaaaaid.” Akurah mocked with a smiling, sadistic face. “I just wanna see what happens when a wittle GAS hits your luuuuungs.” She continued aimlessly blasting it everywhere.

It was then that Eirik curiously walked in, baffled at the sight of all the gas in the room. “Yo Urah, you having a one-person FARTING contest?”

“No, I’m having a one-person murder-some-shrimps contest.”

“Oh yeah? Well I’M having it, TOO!” Inhaling a huge gust of air, Eirik _“AAAAAAAIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAA!”_ It was the most horribly loudest sound they’ve ever heard. Akurah couldn’t press her hands any harder to her ears, and to Nerehc and Ininap, it was so ear-splittingly painful, it was slightly quiet, but that could be because their drums already broke.

“Ahh… I’m gonna need a minute.” Eirik said hoarsely, but her evil smile stayed.

“…” Akurah merely shrugged and approached the fallen bugs. Nerehc and Ininap looked up with pure dizziness as her giant Mary-Jane came down.

**Anaeco**

“Now, then…” Annaira began, her devious smirk unchanging. “What would happen if I did THIS?” She opened a window and forced the shrunken duo outside of the water barrier that gave the room oxygen.

From a certain viewpoint, they were like two ants thousands of meters below the surface, so the billions of pounds of pressure would no doubt be overwhelming. ’Cause that’s exactly how they felt. _“HMMmmmpp.”_ Nosam absolutely struggled to blow an air bubble. _“Hmmmmp.”_ He just couldn’t make it come out. _G… If only I could… move my arms!…_

“Oh… and just for fun’s sake, I’m bloodbending you in place so you can’t swim!” Annaira beamed. “People say I expend too much energy on simple little rodents, but I say we shouldn’t discriminate!… on who receives punishment!”

“HEY, LET THEM GO!” Lorac screamed. “ _THEY_ DON’T DESERVE THIS, they never did ANY thing to you! Huuu-uuk!” Annaira squeezed the blood in Lorac’s neck.

“Yeah… you’re right. Perhaps I’ll let them go. Let them go down your contorted neck-”

As if out of nowhere, the wall nearest Lorac was blown down, freeing the girl from her watery sphere and knocking everyone off their feet, or fins. A small fleet of ships with angel wings, surrounded in spinning water bubbles, was flying around outside. “Numbuh -10,000 Leagues!” a merboy called, swimming up frantically. “The Nimbi are attacking us again!”

“Ready the swordwhales and initialize a counterattack!” Amiak yelled.

“Ugh, that stupid Atnort!” Annaira proclaimed. “He told us he had those batfreaks under contr-”

Lorac flipped at her nimbly and laid a storm of rapid punches along Annaira’s body, blocking her chi. With that, she wrapped both arms and legs around Ira’s head and kept her mouth closed ‘til she was down. She then looked at the water barrier as Nosam was able to regain himself, fighting the unbearable water pressure with his bending and landing in Lorac’s hand once he made it inside. “Let’s steal one of their subs and get out of here, my dearest!”

“Where’d Aliehs go??”

“I lost sight of her when the torpedo came, who cares! Let’s just leave her be and get out of here!”

“Get back out there and FIND her!!”

“At what expense?? She must be LOST by now, her wish for death finally come true, and my burden to watch over her finally-”

**“FIND HER.”** Darkness engulfed this realm, and Lorac had the form of a dark, imposing demon that would see that simple little Nosam suffers his whole life.

“. . . . .;” Nosam couldn’t be any quicker to zip back in that water and start swimming around at flawless, unparalleled speed. The torpedoes released by Nimbi and mermen alike were easy to dodge, but created so many bubbles that made everything totally foggy. In all of this chaos, he would never find Aliehs, let alone find her alive.

But out of the corner of his eye, something gray and limp was floating up inside one of the bubbles created by a missile. It was Aliehs. Nosam hurriedly swam up after, taking her in his arms when her bubble popped after a few seconds of rising. Like a dolphin, he swam his way back to the barrier, evasively dodging bubble clouds before he finally passed into fresh air and rolled to a halt along the ground. “HUUUFF.”

Lorac bent over above them with a worried face. “Is she okay??”

“Y-Yeah… hold on.” With gentle, careful movement, Nosam pulled the water in Aliehs’s throat out of her mouth, throwing it to the side.

“Keh, heh…” She only took a few breaths before her usual half-open expression returned. “Oh… was I dead?”

“Yes, and we sadly couldn’t leave you that way.”

“Sigh, come on, you two.” Lorac scooped the two in her fingernails and slid them down her pocket.

Lorac stylishly leaped over the brawling merkids and Nimbi and slipped inside the submarine brought by Amiak. “Hokay, first time driving a mersub, but that’s okay, ’cause it’s just like driving an Earth sub. Just calibrate the tailfin and we’re good to…”

The submarine backed out and- _“WHOA! Sorry!”_ bumped another one- _“OUCH! My bad!”_ and wobbled as she tried to drive it- _“Yowchie! Uhhh, I need some room here.”_

_“My dearest Lorac, how you bashfully apologize for your mishaps is so beautifully-”_

_“I wouldn’t mind accidentally rolling over on you.”_

_“The joke of you performing a cruel act is both humorous, yet thrilling!”_

**Nega-Sector V Treehouse**

Nerehc recovered just in time to dodge Akurah’s stomp with a Rocket Boost, pulling Ininap with him. After grabbing a drink of water, Eirik began chasing and screaming smaller, but still reasonably deadly, soundwaves. Nerehc narrowly dodged them, but panicked when a Poison Whip lashed up before them and knocked them to the floor. Akurah blasted a poison cloud directly down, but Nerehc shot straight up to jab lightning in her eye.

Eirik leaped high above and blasted a soundwave that broke a hole in the floor, but Nerehc still avoided and flew Ininap to the window. Akurah inhaled and burped a Gas Bomb straight to them, exploding the floor beneath and making Nerehc lose balance. “GYAAAAAAH!” Ininap fell to the floor, while Nerehc went flying out the window. She weakly and frightfully looked up as both girls came with wicked expressions, ready to stomp her. Her cowardly instincts gave her the rush to zip around like little lightning, avoiding their stomps as she dashed across the living room. Akurah and Eirik blasted after her with gas and sound rockets, and once they caught up, they released a furious storm of their elements.

Outside, Sirhc was just returning home after his visit to Dnalhsa. Tiny Nerehc awoke on the sidewalk to his house just in time to see Sirhc come. “AAAAH!” He immediately dodged his boot and flew up to Sirhc’s face. “SIRHC! It’s me!”

“AAAAH! Buuug!” Sirhc braced himself and shuddered for his life.

“What? No, Sirhc, it’s me, Nerehc!”

“D-D-D-D-Dooooon’t hurt meeeeeee.”

“Oh, Brother…”

**Team Lorac; middle of the sea**

After managing to escape from that war-filled city, Lorac parked the sub above the surface, the water shield having dispelled to give them fresh(ish) air. The seas were calm and free of any other boats. “Siiiigh.” Lorac lied across the pilot’s seat while Nosam and Aliehs sat on her chest. “Well, at least we’re out of that mess. I need to catch my breath.”

“Ahhhh and I will gladly enjoy this swaying as your body recovers.” Nosam said as her chest puffed up and down. “To know my Lorac has a sense of relaxation. Perhaps it will help if I-…” He stopped himself.

“Huuh? …” Lorac was too tired to pull her head up.

“Um… never mind.”

She spared a light smile. “Well, Aliehs is the one who almost drowned, why don’t you offer her some comfort?”

“I could give her all the comfort in the world, she’ll always stay the same! That’s why I reserve it for you.” He winked.

“But Nosam, you and Aliehs are teammates, you should try to be friends with each other. I mean… why make you a team if you guys aren’t even FRIENDS?!” She screamed suddenly and abruptly.

“M-M-My Lorac, if it’ll give you peace, I will gladly-”

“Sigh, no… forget about it. It won’t work if I make you be friends. I just… sigh, I guess I’m just thinking too much.”

“About what?”

“About…” Lorac sat up, the two slipping to her lap, “About everything. Do you remember those Nimbi who showed up out of nowhere and attacked? I read somewhere that they always hated each other, and they always attacked one another, the same way Hsinim play pranks on humans, and humans like to catch mermen for dinner, and everyone just… Hohhhh!” She buried her face in her hands.

“W…What’s wrong, Lorac?”

She sniffled. “Why does everybody HATE each other so much?! The army steals from kids, races fight each other… you and your friends don’t even care enough for each other to even save them from drowning!”

“…” Nosam looked away, feeling a strand of guilt.

“It’s just… This world is a MESS because everybody hates each other! Why can’t people just be happy, instead of all this HATE that goes around. I know we’re supposed to be opposites, but… _but why do we have to live this way?”_

Nosam climbed up to her arm and lightly rubbed it (yeah, she’ll definitely feel that). “I’m sorry we’re like that Lorac, but… not everyone is. There’re as many good people in the world as bad people… like Innus. She’s _real_ nice. Her sister’s nuts, but, Innus is really talented and helpful. Just like you, Lorac. And I know things will get better, don’t worry about it.”

She uncovered her eyes. “Well… I guess you’re right, Nosam. It’d just be nice if there was something I could do. …But Nosam? If I hang out with you later, can you promise you and Aliehs will try to be friends? It’d be nice for you to have someone else to enjoy spending time with.”

“But Looooraaaaac!”

She gave him a pouty look of shame that some moms or older sisters would. “…Okay.”

“Good boy!” She gently patted his little head. “Now only problem is, where the heck Senippilihp is. It doesn’t look like this junk heap has a compass, and we still have no idea-”

“It’s over there.” Aliehs said, pointing to a distant shore with a giant flashy sign. _Welcome to SENIPPILIHP. Renowned for our big flashy signs. (’Cause who needs lighthouses in this universe?)_

“Um… good eye, Aliehs. Let’s go!” Lorac started up the sub again and drove to the island.

**EiznekCm Household**

Lehcar was in the kitchen reading a newspaper while Arorua sat with her and read a magazine. “M-Mom?” They looked up when Sirhc walked in, shuddering with slight fear, holding up his pinky finger. “Th-There’s something you need to see.”

“Oh, quit stuttering, Sirhc, what is it?” Lehcar angrily asked. Both she and Arorua approached the boy and squinted closely at the tip of his finger. Standing at the tip of Sirhc’s pinky was a very tiny Nerehc, cowering in total fear. “…Nerehc?” she whispered with shock.

“What happened?” Arorua asked.

“H-He walked into some kinda magic door.” Sirhc stuttered. “He’s been like this for hours.”

“Hours?! Well, why didn’t you tell me earlier?!”

“W-Well, I-I didn’t find him ’til, well, after Akurah and Eirik tried to kill him and Ininap. ’Course, he thinks Inap is dead by now. Then, well, he didn’t want me to bring you here at first, ’c-cause he thought you were g-going to squish him, Mother.”

“Why not? He is a bug, after all.” Arorua smirked. “Don’t bugs deserve to be squished, Mother?”

“Still that tongue, both of you! I would never do that!”

“B-But I thought we squish small creatures, Mother.” Sirhc said. “They don’t deserve to live, right?”

“Well, this case is different. Nerehc is my son.” Lehcar released a sigh. “When I was little, my father always treated me like I was nothing. He made me feel as small as Nerehc is right now. I don’t wanna be like that. I wish to treat my kids with the same respect I desire from them. And when my son is at his smallest and weakest, I’ll do everything in my power to help him.”

The tiny Nerehc was touched by his mother’s words. His fear had vanished as a warm feeling in his heart took over.

**Senippilihp; Notirahc Household**

Dark… dull… only such words can describe the Notirahc House. Home of Aleakim Notirahc, whose unbelievable boringness rivaled that of Aliehs or Ibyf. All day, she merely sat at the desk in her room, doing work on her computer. She had absolutely no time for goofing off, let alone spend time with her kids. “Ahhhh, there’s my darling wife.” Her husband, Reiniar Notirahc smile as he walked in and kissed his wife on the head. “Innus is skipping around, daydreaming again. I don’t suppose you want to talk to her?”

“No, Reiniar, I don’t. I have to finish these reports by next Tuesday, you know how it is.”

“Ahhh… that’s why I love you, my dearest. You’re a psychicbender, and you choose to repress your power. Because you know that with so much work to be done, you don’t have time to float around like some mindless cloud. You know that life means staying focused, and that’s just what you do!”

“I know.” she replied nonchalantly, eyes not averting. “People say I should have more imagination, but it’s a waste of time. People who don’t focus on work won’t get anywhere. If my parents stayed focused, they would still be alive. But they still taught me what I need to know, and hopefully seeing me this way will teach Innus. There’s no time for games when you’re grown up, so it’s best to start early.”

“You’ll always be in my heart for that reason.” He patted her shoulder. “I’ll bring you your dinner.” He walked out.

Outside, their daughter Innus, a girl that shared her mother’s brown skin and eyes, brown hair, and blue vest over a black shirt was lied back on the grass with a carefree smile on her face, letting flower pots, toys, and other items dance above her in a circle with her psychic. When Lorac hopped over the fence and landed lightly on her feet, Innus was quick to sense her presence, setting the items down as she sat up. “Hey there! I don’t think I’ve seen you around. Are you new in town?”

“Um, kind of…” She panted. “Listen, you’re a psychicbender, right? I need you to help these two.” Innus bent down to see the tiny Nosam and Aliehs in her fingers.

The Filipino wore a big smile. “Awwwww! It’s Nosy and Ali! HIIII, Nosy and Aliiiii! I didn’t see you before ’cause you’re so tinyyyy!”

“Uh-huh… yeah.” Lorac sweat-dropped. “So, if you could help them-”

“Sure, here!” Using her superb psychicbending, Nosam and Aliehs zipped back to normal, crushing Lorac in the process.

“Ow!” Nosam was first to regain himself and helped his two friends up. “…’kay… kinda thought we’d have to work a lot more for that.”

“Whyyyy?” she grinned. “You think I was gonna LEAVE ‘em like thaaaaat?”

“Well… their friends sure did.”

“Ahh, those guys are jerks. But you guys are my fwieeeends, we went to training together! Besides, better I help you now before-”

 **“INNUS!!”** Her sister, Ycrad suddenly zipped out. “YOU JUST MADE THOSE GUYS POP OUT OUTTA NOWHERE?! HOW YOU DO THAT, INNUS?? HOW YOU GET SO GREAT?? ’CAUSE I GOOD TOO, BUT I NO _GOOD_ AS YOU. WHY CAN’T I MAKE _BRAIN_ PEOPLE, INNUUUUUUS?” She shook her horrendously before releasing, and zipping away.

“…Good point.”

“Oh, she’s running to the playground again. Well-p, see you guys later!” Innus waved happily. “Gotta go keep her from killing somebody! YCRAAAAAD!” She hurriedly flew after. “If you come BACK, I’ll give you Pat Creeeeeaaam.”

With their business done, Team Lorac was headed to the town. “Well, Nosam… despite the craziness, you were pretty fun to hang out with.” She smiled.

“I would like our next shrink date to go without evil merkids.” he said with a cool grin.

“Hehe… mine, too. But I’m worried about what that girl said about your leader. Do you have a communicator; you should call your sector and warn them. Wouldn’t hurt to test if they care…”

“Sigh, I suppose.” With that, Nosam switched on his wristwatch communicator and dialed Yrrah. “Hello? Yrrah? Remember when I was, well, shrunk earlier? Apparently the same thing happened to Nerehc, so he-”

_“Yesth yesth, I know, Nollid already took care of it. Thank goodnessth, I thought thosthe two would never sthop.”_

“Huh?”

**Nega-Sector V Treehouse**

“I wanna squish it-” Akurah stated, shoving Eirik.

“No _I_ wanna squish it!” Eirik screamed, pushing back.

“I found it first.”

“Well I broke its EARS.”

“You had the LAST kill.”

“No, YOU DID!”

Ininap merely sat and shuddered in place, wondering which girl would be the one to administer her fate. ’Course, she could take this time to make a break for it, but the situation was much more terrifying.

“Stupefy.”

“EEEK!” Both girls were hit by a magic blast that froze them in place.

Nollid walked in from the hallway, wand aimed and spell book in hand. “For crud’s sake, can’t you girls be left alone once without getting in a murder contest?”

Their stiff expressions exchanged glances.

Nollid aimed at the bug and- “Engorgio.” Ininap zapped back to normal. “Someone said you walked in a Hsinim Door, so, well, I thought it would end badly.”

“Hy, bt yu di’n’t hlp Nsm erlier.” Eirik said through stiff teeth.

“I know, and…” Nollid looked down, “I don’t know why, but… something inside me wanted to help them now. But… I guess I can only rely on Lorac for that. Hopefully she… ahem, you alright, Ininap?”

“Ay’m fine. But um, uh, Nollid? There’s someone else ya should help, too.”

**EiznekCm House**

Ininap guided Nollid down into Nerehc’s house, where the miniaturized boy was asleep on a cottonball on Sirhc’s nightstand. Nollid aimed his wand and, “Engorgio.”

“AAAAH!” Sirhc jumped to the corner of his bed when Nerehc suddenly collapsed on the floor.

He stood up and stared at his hands with wonder. “I’m…I’m back! I’M BACK, HA HA! How did this happen?”

“I-I dunno. …” They didn’t see anyone standing in their doorway.

“Well I’m goin’ to tell Mom!” Nerehc excitedly rushed to his parents’ room.

Lehcar and Yllaw were asleep in their room when Nerehc excitedly ran in and shook his mom by the arm. “Mom, Mom! I’m big again, look!”

“Huh. Wh-What?” Lehcar barely awakened, her eyes still heavy from tiredness.

“I’m back to normal! I don’t know how, but I’m back!”

“Oh… I guess you are.” Lehcar yawned, too tired to be excited, even though she was joyous deep down. “Let’s celebrate in the morning, Nerry…” With that, she fell back asleep.

“Hehe… okay.” Nerehc was about to head out the door, but stopped and turned around. “M-Mom?”

Lehcar mumbled, her eyes still closed. “Yes, Nerry?...”

Nerehc was extremely grateful for what his mother said earlier, and was unable to find words to express it. Instead, he just walked up and hugged her sleeping form. “I love you, Mom.” With that said, Nerehc calmly walked out and closed the door.

Lehcar shifted around in her bed as her voice muffled, “I love you, too… Nerry…”

 

**So, the vice-president is working behind the scenes. This seem familiar to anyone? Too much shrinkin’, I mostly made it ’cause it happened in the Posiverse, so we had to see what happened to the Negatives, anyway. But let’s finally get to know MORE Negatives and put that lovey-dovey pair behind us.**


	4. Life of Mika

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A recount of events in Mikaela's life.

**Hello, everybody. I haven't finished developing the 4th chapter of this story, so I filled it in with a bonus chapter. Here to celebrate the 15th birthday of Mikaela Corella. Let us recount all the happy moments in her, well, OC character’s life. Moments which we’ve never actually seen, and am showing them for the first time.**

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Life of Mika

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**Age 0**

John and Dominique Corella had just gotten back from the hospital, and with them, the newest member of their family: Baby Mikaela Dominique Corella was comfily wrapped in a warm, blue blanket, sleeping quietly while her mother rocked her in her arms. “Isn’t she beautiful…”

“Just like her mother.” John smiled. “What do you think she’s dreaming about?”

“She’s a baby,” Dominique chuckled, “I doubt she’d be dreaming about-” But just then, she gasped when her little infant suddenly levitated upward slowly.

“What time were they supposed to…” Her husband was turned away looking at his watch, but when he looked back up, he gasped when he saw his daughter floating in midair.

Dominique quickly stood up and brought her daughter back down. “How did she…”

“You don’t think…”

**Age 2**

_“It’s as you suspected.”_ Mewtwo told the parents outside their house. _“She is a psychicbender of considerable power. I can sense that her chi is very strong, but will need time to develop before it is put to greater use.”_

“But what’ll we do until then?” John asked.

 _“Keep her powers hidden as much as you can. Most people in the world aren’t ready to accept the power she bears. But it will not be possible to prevent her from leaking it out every now and then. Let her grow and use her powers as they come. And to keep her within the light, I will send someone over to watch her.”_ And inside her room, Mika smiled brightly as she twirled blocks around in the air with her powers.

**Age 3**

Mika was happily moving a ball back-and-forth in the backyard using her powers. She sent it flying behind a bush, but looked curiously when the ball was thrown back. A little blue foxlike creature stuck its head out from the bushes. His red eyes widened after noticing Mika. “…Mommy, Daddy, look! It’s a puppy!” She bounced excitedly.

Her parents came out and observed the peculiar creature, who walked out and began sniffing Mika. “Is this the one Mewtwo sent?” Dominique whispered.

“He said his name was Riolu. But I wonder…”

“Ha ha ha! He’s tickling me, Mommy!” giggled Mika as Riolu tackled her to the ground.

“Well, he’s certainly friendly, I’ll give you that much.” her father noted.

“Hm hm hm! Okay, you two! Smile!” And Dominique snapped a picture of the two as they rolled along the ground.

**Age 4**

“Mommy… am I a weirdo?” Mika asked.

“Hm? Why are you asking that, honey?”

“The kids at the park keep saying I’m a weirdo… and.. I keep seeing things no one else can see. I think I’m weird.”

The mother chuckled, “Hm-hm, you’re not weird, darling. You’re just mad.”

“Mad?”

“But let me tell you something: some of the best people are.”

“Really?”

“Yes, and when we get home, I’d like to show you something.”

After they got home, Dominique led her daughter upstairs to her room, where she got a book off Mika’s nightstand and knelt down to show it to her. “You remember this, don’t you?”

“It’s my favorite book!” Mika exclaimed. “ _Alice in Wonderland_!”

“That’s right! Alice was a real person, you know.”

“She was?”

“Yes! Her adventures were inspirational! Like you, she had a powerful imagination. So powerful, that what she imagined became real.”

“So… Wonderland was real?”

“No one knows. It could’ve been real, or she just imagined it so well, that she _thought_ it was real. But the truth is… that’s how a lot of things start. The Great Wall, your school, this house even, all started as someone’s imagination. And your imagination is stronger than anyone’s I’ve seen. You’re a mad girl, Mika, and that madness will help you accomplish many things.”

“You mean I can create a Wonderland?” Mika asked, excitement all over her face.

“You can create any land you want!” her mom smiled, ruffling her hair. “Alright, let’s go downstairs. Your friends will be showing up for your birthday soon.”

**Age 6**

Summer came once again, and as they did every year, the family went on a luxurious boat cruise. But faster than they realized, the boat was under attack by the dreaded leviathan known as the Kraken. The beast dragged John into the depths, and Mika’s mother was killed before her eyes by the dreaded pirate that caused all of this. Mika fell into the sea and lost consciousness. But a psychic force lifted her from the depths and placed her in Mewtwo’s arms. He touched her forehead as the girl still lay asleep.

_“Her mind is swimming in fear… but her parents’ fate is sealed. It falls on me to continue to raise her, and help her master her powers. But until the Quest of Destiny calls… she must not leave the island. John... Dominique... watch as your daughter, rises to supreme greatness.”_

**Age 7**

Mika stood upon the shore of Mewtwo’s New Island and stared into the endless sea as waves brushed against the ledge. Mewtwo quietly floated and took land beside her. _“Do you still think about them?”_

“I keep wondering… if they somehow survived… and’re looking for me.”

_“Mika… I know you are saddened, but you must let these feelings go. Negative emotions slowly draw a psychicbender to the Dark Side, and it interferes with their development. And as much as I would love to release you to the outside world, people will fear you if your powers are undeveloped. But they also fear the most highly-trained psychicbender. In the end… there is no way to win.”_

“Do you ever think about _your_ creator?”

_“No… my creator was an evil man. He sought to control powers beyond his understanding in his own selfish intentions. Remember, Mika… the more powerful a being is, the closer they are to the Dark Side. But you should have no fear. Behind what few clouds clutter your mind shines a sparkling sun. And one day, your light may clear the darkness of other hearts.”_

**Age 9**

“Mmmmmm, mmmmmm!” Mika sat cross-legged on a rock and shut her eyes tight, trying desperately to channel energy.

_“I can’t tell if you are trying to shrink yourself or need to use the bathroom, but if not, you won’t get any smaller with a swelled head.”_

“Well, I’m SORRY if I’m unable to become the size of an ant in just POOF, the blink of an eye!” she said stressfully.

Mewtwo shook his head. _“Let’s try a different approach. Close your eyes.”_

“Uuuugh.” She did so.

_“Now… imagine you are Alice. Wandering through the forest, totally confused as to where you are.”_

“Mmmmmm.” Mika smiled with peace. She imagined this perfectly in her head.

 _“You come upon a mushroom. It looks tasty. You pick a side out and decide to have a bite. It’s tasty… you’re savoring the flavor… then before you know it, everything grows around you. The grass becomes as tall as trees, and you are no bigger than a-”_ But his student mysteriously vanished from her perch. He looked down and saw Mika talking to imaginary friends, the size of a teeny-tiny beetle.

“Why Absalom, could you please direct me to the garden, I am very late for tea.”

**Age 12**

Eventually, Mika left New Island with the many new friends that came to visit. They took her on the marvelous Quest for the Eight Firstborn, where their journeys led to Planet Secco. They met a charming boy named Rainier, who took an interest in Mika. If you want more detail, read the actual story.

“Are-Are you…Are you a Jedi?”

“Well… we’re more Padawans.” Mika replied.

“It’s just that… I thought all the psychicbenders in Galaxia were dead.”

“Well, we’re not exactly from Galaxia.” Mika replied. “We’re from Earth… very far away. But we are psychicbenders.”

“Wow… I never met a psychicbender before!” he smiled with interest. “I’d sure love to come with you, if I wasn’t stuck with this geezer.”

“It’d be great to have you in our team! You can see all our bending abilities and everything!”

“I’m really looking forward to it.” Rainier said with a wink, making Mika blush.

“…Um… was this how the actual scene went?” Morgan asked.

“We’re just marking the main parts, don’t worry about it, Morgan.” Mika told her.

“Well, more stardom than I actually got in the Nextgen Series.”

“You’ll appear later, relax.”

**Age 14**

Cleveland Park: the tiny yellow alien known as Kweeb was sitting on a table while reading a magazine that was his size. In the bushes, Mika and Lehcar EiznekCm grinned mischievously as they crept up to the unsuspecting Kateenian. “Hey, Kweeb!”

“AAAAH!” He jumped when Mika and Lehcar popped up outta nowhere. “Mika, Lehcar! What’s up?”

Wicked, evil grins were on their face. “You know, Kweeb, when I first saw you, I thought you looked like a banana.” Mika said.

“Oh… really?”

“Yeah, me too.” Lehcar grinned. “A very tasty one, too.”

“Uhhhh… y-you don’t say.”

“Mind if I get a taste?” Mika asked.

“Umm, I’d rather if you didn’t.”

Mika casually picked him up between her fingers. “I could just gobble you up, right here, right now.” She smacked her lips.

“Nnnn, uu-uuhh, uhhhhh.” He began to sweat with fear.

“Ooooh, he’s getting sweaty! That’s when they’re extra spicy!” Lehcar perked.

“Well, no use waiting!” With that, Mika opened her mouth wide and slowly loomed Kweeb closer.

“N-No! Don’t eat me! I-I thought we were friends!”

“We are, but my curiosity is already peeked, so unless you provide me with ANOTHER Kateenian, my taste buds will not be satisfiiiieeed!” She loomed him closer.

“Actually, it just so happens I captured a Kateenian during a trip to Secco!” Lehcar said as she held up another Kateenian.

“Oooooh, give it!” Lehcar tossed the alien to Mika. The psychic girl drenched the helpless creature in pepper and hotsauce before dangling it above her open mouth.

“W-WAIT!! You can’t eat my people!” Kweeb pleaded.

“Sorry Kweeb, but I wanna know what you guys taste like! Dooooown the HATCH!”

“NOOOO!” And to Kweeb’s horror, his fellow Kateenian went plummeting down Mika’s throat. Tears welled in his eyes, and he fumed with rage as Mika swallowed with a casual smile. “You MONSTER! WHAT KIND OF DECENT HUMAN WOULD-”

“PFFFFAAAAA HA HA HAAAA!” Both girls began to laugh.

“What?!”

“You FELL for it!” Lehcar laughed, pulling out a bag labeled ‘Kateenian Gummies’.

“That was the newest brand of Gummi foodstuffs, Kateenian Gummies!” Mika smacked her lips. “Spicy jalapeno flavah!”

“Oh… well, that’s STILL pretty offensive!” Kweeb said hatefully.

“Ahhhh quit complainin’, Banana Boy!” Mika cooed.

**Age 16**

Mika returned to New Island and continued training with each of her masters she met over the Firstborn journey, like Lucario and Mewtwo himself. She divided herself in three as Lucario kept trying to punch them, but her eyes were closed as she swiftly dodged around. _“She has improved considerably since she left my side 4 years ago. And even as her power grew, her bond with the Light Side remained strong. It seems her experience with the outside world helped to strengthen that. Remaining on my island would’ve taught her nothing.”_

**Age 19**

Finally came Mika’s big day: the day of her wedding. She was in the dressing room while Rachel McKenzie helped to fix her dress on her. “Boy, Mika. Feels a little early to be getting married, isn’t it?”

“Ehh, the time just seemed right. I dunno, Psychic Sense maybe? Just wait Rachel, before you know it, you’re gonna wanna have kids, too.”

“Ha ha ha! Well, the best time is when you’re young, I guess! Then you probably bond with them more.”

“Yah… well, it’s time to go.”

“You ready?”

“More than ever. Especially since we discussed _I_ will be head of the family.”

“Ava and Fanny really get to people, huh?”

“And how.” And with that, Mika walked down the aisle so her union with Rainier could commence.

**Age 20**

“You will give me the best night I ever had.” Mika said to Rainier as they lay in bed, the psychic Filipino attempting to brainwash him with mind-tricks.

“I will give you the best night you ever had.”

“You will give it your all, and don’t stop until I tell you.”

“I will give it my all, and not stop until you tell me.”

“You will-”

**_The rest of this scene is too graphic to display on deviantART. Go to FanFiction for an uncut version._ **

**Age 21**

Rainier and Mikaela Chariton returned from the hospital, and with them, the newest member of their family: their currently unnamed baby, with Mika’s dark brown hair and brown eyes, cried as Mika rocked her in her arms, the child wrapped warmly in a blue blanket. “Hehehe! Isn’t she beautiful?” Mika laughed.

“Yeah, when you get past the banshee screams.”

“Rainieeeer!”

“Well, she could use a breather!” 

Mika held her pinky to the baby, who began to suck on it. “Looks like I already established a bond!”

“Heh, girls. What should we name her?”

“Hmmmm.” Mika pulled her finger away, and the baby began crying again. “I’m thinking… Sunni!”

“Sunni? From here, she looks a little… Rainy.”

“And look how _you_ turned out.” She smirked. “It’ll give her good luck! So whenever things are going bad, she just has to remember her name, and remember the sun shines on everyone!”

“I… never heard that analogy before.”

“Ehh, it’s still a divine name, anyway.” Sunni kept crying, but Mika let her suck on her finger again. “Mmmm… to be young and so innocent.”

“Just like her mom.”

“… _Let’s have another one.”_ Mika smirked wickedly, while Rainier looked worried.

**Age 26**

Sunni was 5 years old, while her younger sister, Darcy was 4. The girls were using their psychic to move blocks around in the air, but theirs clashed too much with the other’s, and they ended up collapsing. “Darcyyyyy! I told you to go play over theeeere! Moooom!” Sunni whined as her mother walked in. “Why’d you have to give DARCY powers, too?”

“Hm hm, I didn’t give her powers, Silly Sunni! My chi passed into her body when she was in my belly on its own!”

“Whuuuuuhh??”

“Sunni, just play with her. I mean, in the future she may be all you have, so it’s best to get along now.”

“Nuh-uh! I’ll always have you TOO, Mom, so why do I gotta play with her!”

“Because grown-ups have meetings to go to, so you are stuck with her, Sunshine!” She wagged her finger. “Now go on! Play nice!” And while Mika walked off, Sunni begrudgingly went beside her sister.

“Let’s wead _Sweeping Beauty_ , Sunni!” The younger said excitedly. Sunni rolled her eyes and sat beside her to read it.

**Age 30**

It was Sunni and Darcy’s first day of CND training. Mika and Rainier waited with them at the landing point for the transport ship. “I don’t see what the point is, anyway!” Sunni complained. “We’re joining the KND when we’re 10 years old, so we’ll only have 3 years to be operatives!”

“Actually, Filipino kids are considered kids until they’re 19, so Philippine operatives aren’t decommissioned until then!” Mika grinned.

“Who decided that?”

“I dunno, but it’s why they let ME in even though I was 13. Ordinarily you can’t stay in there longer unless you’re a special case. Like, insanely strong or something.”

“So staying in longer doesn’t really mean we’re special.” Sunni said grumpily.

“Sunni, _everyone_ is special in their own way.” Mika smiled, patting her head. “And maybe you’ll finally make some friends there, too! Now the ship’s almost here, get ready to get on. I have training of my own to do.” She began to leave.

“What training are YOU doing?? It’s not like you’re not the most powerful psychicbender in the world!”

“Weeeeell I’m not.” Mika winked. “But THAT’S all about to change…” And she left.

**New Island; a few hours later**

Mika and Mewtwo stood face-to-face within the stadium of his castle. Watching eagerly from the audience were Rainier Chariton, Rainier Narboneta (don’t get them confused), Lucario, Flordeluna, Sector R, and all her other friends from the Philippines. “Boy, I can’t believe she’s about to fight him.” Rainier said.

“It feels like just yesterday she was training under Mewtwo.” Matthew replied.

“She still is,” Lucario informed, “until she passes this test. Then their relationship of master and apprentice will be gone.”

“How come YOU two don’t fight her?” Rainier asked.

“I… would rather not get on her bad side.” Lucario mentioned.

“Some master you are.” Matt smirked.

“Quiet down!” yelled Flordeluna. “It’s starting!”

“Mew…” said Mew with a curious face as always.

Down below, Mewtwo was already speaking. _“I began training you when you were 6… and now, 24 years later, the true nature of your Psychokinetic Chi is about to be unveiled. In this final test, I will see if you are ready to surpass me. Are you ready to undertake this challenge, your greatest battle as a psychicbender?”_

“Ready!” declared Mika with confidence.

“Then let the Battle of the Strongest commence!” (Play the “Fight Theme Song” from _Naruto: Shippuden_.)

 

_Boss fight: Mewtwo_

The artificial deity alit with blue energy and lunged at Mika, who flew away surrounded in pink energy as she tossed a round of Psycho Spheres. Mewtwo dodged the spheres and flew at her, but Mika protected herself in a pink bubble to bounce him back. Mewtwo conjured a circle of Psycho Spheres around him to launch them at Mika, but she merely teleported, and before he knew it, Mewtwo was forced to the ground by a pink Psycho Sphere from above. He got up as Mika landed on the ground with a casual smile. Mewtwo flew to her and dodged her blast attack as he flipped and whacked her away with his tail.

Mika recovered and jumped back when Mewtwo began throwing punches alit with psychic energy. She flipped behind the clone and slammed the ground with a Psychic Shockwave, pushing him slightly before he turned to throw another sphere. Mika dodged and flew to the sky, just brushing over her audience as Mewtwo followed. “Whoa! Is it even safe to be up here??” Rainier questioned.

“That’s why admission was cheap.” Lucario replied.

Mika tossed spheres back as Mewtwo followed and dodged. She warped behind him to charge, but he blocked with a barrier as Mika bounced back to throw a series of mini spheres. Mewtwo kept his barrier and blocked every one, but Mika smirked as she saw it was slowly cracking. She saw this trick from playing _Smash Bros. Melee_ , and apparently it was true.

In a few more seconds, Mewtwo’s barrier shattered like glass, and he plummeted to the stadium very dizzily. Mika landed to watch Mewtwo stand and wobble around, and she took this moment to run up and KICK him upside the chin, knocking him away. Mewtwo glared after getting up, rubbing his chin before running at Mika and throwing a punch. However, it turned out to be an illusion, and Mewtwo turned to find Mika behind him. He threw a Psycho Sphere, but it was another fake, and when Mika landed beside him, he swung his arm, but fell for her trick again.

“She’s grasped the Psychic Illusion well.” Lucario observed.

Mewtwo was aimlessly punching and kicking Mika clones, until the real Mika shot down and smashed him under her foot. Mewtwo got up again to find the woman smirking witfully. _“Very good. But can you see past your own trick?”_ Mewtwo flew above and conjured a swarm of clones that charged at Mika all at once. The woman smiled calmly and closed her eyes, letting her Aura Senses take over. There were a bunch of faint bodies of aura, each shaping Mewtwo. She dodged them all as she whipped out her lightsaber, slicing them all as she tried to find the real one. One of them had a strong, brimming sense of aura, and she smirked and flew at that one while swinging her saber.

“Be they clones or real… the power of Aura is never wrong.” Lucario said.

Mewtwo created a barrier and blocked the saber’s strikes, then looked around when Mika teleported. She didn’t appear anywhere, making Mewtwo slightly worried, but he finally noticed her shrunken between his two necks. “Boy, these things look even weirder up close.”

 _“Grrrr!”_ Mewtwo spun around to try and shake her out, but Mika flew in front of his eyes to slice them with lightsabers. He whacked the minimized woman to the ground with his tail, but Mika quickly reverted to normal and made a pink bubble to break her fall and bounce away. She dodged as Mewtwo tossed more spheres, but she warped before him and BRUSHED her hand past his face, dizzying him with a Stun. With that, she flew behind and forced him to the ground with a Psycho Sphere.

Mika landed again and caught her breath, waiting for the cloud of dust to vanish and confirm her victory. Her victory was denied, as Mewtwo mustered enough strength to stand again, although his body looked bruised. “You’ve become stronger indeed. It’s time I take drastic measures.” With that, he used psychic to bring over a white sphere with a purple and blue wavy object inside.

“Hey… is that-?!”

 _“Mega Stone: Mewtwonite X. One of many varieties of stone that channel strong amounts of Elemental Chi. This one, in particular, will increase my abilities tenfold!”_ He pressed his fingers to the stone and began to absorb its energy.

“But you told me these things were unsafe! And generally illegal!”

 _“A Jedi… must always be PREPARED!”_ The stone shattered as Mewtwo flowed with stronger chi. Purple shoulder-blades, the color of his tail, appeared, and his skinny arms and legs grew muscles. Mewtwo launched at Mika and sent her all the way across the stadium, smashing her through the wall. She looked up and frantically dodged when the Mewtwo X lunged at her with whipping speed, beginning to fly through the castle’s interior to get away from him. The outflow of Mewtwo’s energy knocked several items down and cracked the floors and walls. Mika soon flew out a window and went far beyond the island’s shore as she and Mewtwo continued their fight over the sea.

Mika flew into the ocean and protected herself in a pink bubble as Mewtwo followed. They began to bonk each other until Mewtwo overpowered Mika’s bubble and broke it, forcing her to hold her breath. She closed her eyes as the gentle ocean current brushed past her form, and the sun shone on her from above the waves. At that moment, she pictured herself minimized and relaxing in a steaming cup of tea at the Mad Hatter’s garden. When Mewtwo readied to charge at her, he suddenly felt himself caught within a cyclone created by Mika’s psychic. The cyclone shot miles into the sky and brought Mewtwo with it, and he looked down as Mika flew up at him again.

Mewtwo tossed a Psycho Sphere, which Mika avoided by teleporting, encasing herself in a barrier while Mewtwo did the same. The two bubbles pushed each other with equal force, and from the stands below, her audience saw the blue and pink bubbles slamming furiously at each other. “Even with that stone, they STILL seem equally matched.” Matthew said.

“Not yet.” replied Lucario. “Mewtwo refuses to give up his position that easy.”

After a few more shoves, Mika flew straight down to the island, letting Mewtwo chase. She stopped inches above the stadium ground before zipping across, then flying right back to the air as Mewtwo still mimicked. When they faced each other, Mewtwo warped and shoved her from the side, knocking Mika into one of his towers’ windmills. She rode the windmill’s blade like a Ferris wheel, feeling like Mew as she went around and around. She pictured herself playing croquet in the Queen of Hearts’ garden, and she woke up to pull the blade off with psychic and start swinging it at Mewtwo.

The evolved Pokémon evaded the giant blade and threw a sphere at Mika, but she turned out to be a fake as the real one BATTED Mewtwo away with the windmill blade and sent him plummeting to the ground. She ditched the blade and flew down for a landing, smirking at the clone as he recovered again. She wasn’t done, as she whipped out her saber and sliced a Japanese symbol on the ground, which translated ‘Imagine’. She pressed her hand to that symbol and released a surge of energy, and in a flash, the purple-furred beast known as Eduardo appeared in a puff and charged at Mewtwo, ramming him with his horns and sending him across the field.

Mewtwo weakly recovered, but felt himself instantly pinned down by Eduardo, Wilt, and Coco. “We dunno why we’re fighting you, but, we’re sorry.” Wilt said.

 _“Have you been mastering the Creative Summoning behind my back?!”_ Mewtwo glared. _“Risking the lives of children’s creations to fight your battles. That’s…”_

“A Jedi must always be prepared.” Mika smirked.

 _“Hmmm. I have taught you too well. That is why, I had THIS specially prepared.”_ Mewtwo blew the Imaginary Friends away, then grabbed Coco to force an egg out of her behind. “Coco.”

Mewtwo opened the egg to collect another white sphere with a swirly object that was many shades of pink inside. He pressed his fingers to it as another tremendous flow of energy began to flow inside him. _“Know this… I refuse to be beaten by you. Do you understand… Mikaela CHARITON?!”_ Mewtwo kept his muscles, but his tail sunk into his body as his stomach became totally white. The tail now emerged from the back of his head, and his ears grew and curved toward the front as a white ring connected them both, going over the head. Just as well, his back neck was gone, and he hovered to the air as Mewtwo XY.

“He absorbed the powers of both Mewtwonite X AND Y?!” exclaimed Lucario. “This is hardly a fair test anymore!”

 _“Now show me, what TRUE strength you have acquired!”_ (Play the “Fight Theme Song 2” from _Naruto: Shippuden_.) Mewtwo flew at Mika with more power than ever, shoving her into the wall with great force. He came at her again, but she teleported to the summoning symbol and used psychic to rip it out of the ground, flying to the heavens as Mewtwo chased. She quickly pressed the symbol to summon more Imaginary Friends to fall on him, but Mewtwo dodged them all and warped above, kicking Mika back to the stadium.

_She pictured herself drinking the mysterious beverage and shrinking to 3 inches tall._

She minimized herself before Mewtwo punched at her, flying at his eyes to strike with her saber, but that barely hurt him as Mewtwo swatted her like a fly.

_She saw herself speaking to the giant talking flowers in the Lotus Forest._

She reverted to normal and conjured a group of clones to shoot Psycho Spheres at the mutant, but Mewtwo dodged and whipped his tail around to defeat each one, also knocking the real one down.

_She saw herself eating the mushroom and growing 50 feet tall._

She took to the sky again but stopped quickly, so when Mewtwo came at her, she smacked by his face to attempt a Psycho Stun. It was fruitless as Mewtwo dodged aside and kicked her away. With her back to him, Mewtwo conjured a powerful psychic laser and pierced straight at her back. Mika became unable to move, feeling incredible pain surge as Mewtwo mixed this with Force Lightning. _“How unfortunate… that you never mastered the Dark Side of the Force. The only psychicbender, who stayed as far from that side as possible. It’s admirable… but in the end, that will be your downfall!”_

Mika wanted to counter back, but the powerful beam prevented her from doing so. He friends below gaped with worry, wishing there was a way to help her. This seemed far more than just a final exam, and if nothing was done, Mika would be no more.

_But all of a sudden, the pain stopped, and Mika was surrounded with light. In the brightness stood none other than Alice of Wonderland. She bore a vibrant smile as she reached a hand out. “No doubt, you’ve definitely become madder than I to attempt this. But as your mother always said, some of the best people are. Just let your mind be free… and fall into the splendor and joy that is Wonderland.” And before she knew it, Mika was falling down an endless Rabbit Hole. Strolling through the Lotus Forest, having a party at the Tea Garden, besting the Queen of Hearts… Mika let herself sink into the madness of Wonderland._

Before Mewtwo’s eyes, Mika’s body vanished entirely, and the audience below were stricken with horror. But Mewtwo’s eyes widened when his laser began to form a glob of energy on the spot where she puffed, and to everyone’s utter amazement, Mika reformed as a bright being of pink energy. Her eyes and mouth were white on her silhouette as she turned and smirked evilly at Mewtwo.

_“After endless daydreams within a peaceful world… and bonding with her element… Mika’s mind and soul have become one with her Psychic Chi.”_

Mika absorbed the last of Mewtwo’s laser and was ready to send it back.

 _“Pakku, Bumi, Piandao… were all bested by their students, the same way.”_ A tear fell from Mewtwo’s eye. _“My time… is over.”_

Mika threw the laser back at full force, sending Mewtwo into his highest tower and bringing it down. Mika stretched her arm across the distance and made it a massive force of psychic energy, swinging at Mewtwo and batting him away. The empowered Pokémon encased himself in a bubble and lunged at Mika again, but she countered with her own bubble at near-equal strength. Finally, both psychics flew to opposite ends of the arena, flying several meters above it. Both channeled strong surges of psychokinetic energy, and both unleashed devastating beams that connected in a perfect center.

“Mew!!” Mew saw this before, during his own squabble with Mewtwo. But how it would end, he was eager to know. The bright-blue and bright-pink continued to shove, and both overpowered the other at certain intervals. But Mewtwo’s fate was nigh, as Mika merged herself with the psychic and connected with Mewtwo’s beam, piercing her former master’s chest with both their combined energies.

 _“UUUUUUUAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!”_ With no strength left to fight, and lots of blood and bruises, Mewtwo fell to the ground with a forceful thud. Mika took calm land afterward, her body returning to its normal color as she smiled at the Imaginary Friends.

“YAAAAAAY!” they cheered.

“YEEEEEAAAAAHH!” cheered her ecstatic audience.

“ _Seven Lights_ is going to be REALLY overpowered.” Rainier already knew. (End song.)

 _“…Mmmmmmmmm…”_ Mewtwo used whatever strength he had left to sit up. “Well done… Mika… I’m proud to have had you… as my student.”

She could only smile in thanks.

_“You are now… a member of the White Lotus… as the Psychic Master. Just as Jagar has surpassed Clockwork… and Rachel, Piandao. You are now at the next level of your bending.”_

“All that crud and NOW I’m at the next level??”

_“A danger… exists in this world. It has… for many eons. You… and the other members… will go to war in the future. In a few months… they will be gathering for a meeting. Ask one of your other friends… to show you the way.”_

Mika nodded seriously.

 _“Good luck… Mika… we, the White Lotus… leave the Next Generation to you. …”_ And that was it.

Mika and her friends gathered around to bow their heads in respect. But at that moment, Mewtwo opened an eye and sat up again. _“What are you all standing around for?! I’m not dead, I’m trying to catch some shut-eye! You ever get locked in a climactic battle like that and not crash later?”_

“Um, no-no, no…” they all mumbled at once. With that, Mewtwo went back to sleep.

“Well, THAT killed the moment.” Luna said.

Mika’s summoning symbol was dropped on the ground as another puff formed, and Blooregard Q. Kazoo showed up. “Hey guys, sorry I’m late! Whose butt are we kickin’??”

“Sorry, Bloo, fighting’s over!” Mika grinned.

“Aw, maaaan! I never get summoned for ANYthing.” Bloo folded his arms.

“Heehee! Bye-bye, you guys!” Mika snapped her fingers, and all the Imaginary Friends disappeared.

**Age 31**

When the appointed time came, Rachel led Mika to a secret hideout in a cave, in which Angie opened the entrance with her earthbending. “Hey Angie, hey Fanny!” Mika greeted excitedly, seeing many friends. “Glad I can finally be in your club, too!”

“Glad to have you, Mika!” Angie beamed. “We all baked a cake to celebrate your membership!”

“Awww, thank yoooooo! So how many of you became Logia-”

“Ah-he-hem.” They turned as their cloaked, shadowed leader walked up, beside a shadowed woman who seemed to hold a slingshot. “There will be plenty of time to discuss that later.” His robe seemed to blow in a faint breeze.

Mika gasped, “You’re-”

“I would prefer it if you not say my name.” His red eye narrowed. “There are ears everywhere, you know. Just call me… the Man With the Red Eye.” He formed a grin.

**Somewhere above the world**

_“So… she has become a Logia.”_ Spoke one of the World Rulers as they viewed the climactic battle through an eye inside a small pyramid.

_“I can’t say I’m surprised. The way these characters blow up every little continent. It’s agonizing to watch them.”_

_“I will admit, I have a student myself, but I would dread if he became as monstrous as THESE so-called humans.”_

_“If she’s joining the Revolution, that could present a problem. It was already disconcerting to see the Granite girl become like that.”_

_“I honestly thought, after they completed their infamous Firstborn Quest, our organization would be safe. But little kids; or little adults these days, seem to have no sense of class.”_

_“Still, we don’t need to worry about the psychic. I’ve already taken matters in my own hands.”_ A female member said.

 _“Oh, yes. The miserable girl, right?”_ asked a gloomy female member.

_“Well, of course. After all, physical power is no match to the power of politics.”_


	5. The Cataclysm of Lava and Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In order to cool down Ikus Latsyrc, Nega-Sector IC seeks help from Yllehs Nosnhoj. Meanwhile, Aliehs Sicnarf meets her Positive, Sheila Frantic.

**Who’s ready to finally meet more Negatives? I know I am. X( Starting with someone exceedingly hot.**

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Chapter -16: The Cataclysm of Lava and Ice

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**Dnaleci** (won’t bother spelling the city backwards :P)

Even though the land was “Ice” spelled backwards, it was anything but. Well, I guess it’s why it’s backwards. The sky was filled with black smog like usual, except this originated from volcano ash. For their town was built around the base of volcanoes, but although they never erupt, lava was still a problem. Especially now, when the students were unable to go into school because of the pits of lava surrounding it. “Sigh, okay, class, Ikus is throwing one of her tantrums again, so we’ll proceed learning out here.” The teacher said. “Stay a reasonable distance away so you don’t get squirted by magma drips, we’ll be fine.”

“Hya ha ha ha!” laughed Ikuyim Latsyrc, running to the river’s edge, a vibrant smile on her face. “Hey, Ikus! Quit being a sourhead and come learn with us!”

Sitting lonely on an isle on the lava, Ikus Latsyrc glared at her sister with a grumpy face. “GO AWAY, Sister-chan.” She folded her arms and turned away.

“But whyyy! Why don’t you ever come here and PLAY with uuuus!”

“Because I HATE you! And I hate EVERYTHING! I wish you’d all just BURN!” Her rage made some lava geysers burst.

“Why did Ikuyim’s sister have to be born a lavabender of all things?” AlyakAm Gnik said with an emotionless face.

“To represent her utter annoyance. And how no one wants to play with her.” Her brother, Egroeg replied with a just-as-emotionless tone.

“Well, class, since we’re already on the subject, who can tell me how magma forms?” the teacher asked.

“Ooo-ooo-ooo.” Alol Krots, a girl with colorful clothing, raised her hand. “It’s formed when rocks melt in the Earth’s lithosphere, which is the outermost shell of the earth, made of the crust and upper part of the mantle, and the asthenosphere, which is the layer below the lithosphere.”

“Very good. I also would’ve accepted ‘little girls who can’t control their selves’. You’d get a sticker, if you can brave the magma rivers to the classroom to get one.”

“I’LL get one!” Ikuyim joyously skipped her way across the magma platforms, stopping for brief seconds to wait out sudden magma geysers, until she made it inside the dark, flaming school and found the box of stickers. She took one, skipped her way back out, and planted it on Alol’s pink shirt.

“Very good.” The teacher said, not caring. “Now who can tell me what ‘igneous’ is?”

**After that boring, hot school day…**

Negative Sector IC left the boiling pit behind them, Ikuyim happily skipping ahead of her group. “You know, someone should do something about her.” AlyakAm suggested.

“Yes. But who could possibly be interested enough?” Egroeg asked.

“I wish we knew why she was so upset.” Yrret said with a sad face. “I’d like to help her.”

“Ahhhh that’s just Ikus!” Ikuyim said bubbly. “She’s always so frumpy! I learn to just deal with it.”

“You learn to deal with living on a boiling magma pit that threatens to sink your house?” Alol asked.

“Yep! It’s just her way of venting. So who’s up for ice cream??” She grinned widely.

“Ice… hold on!” Alol perked. “I have a pen pal in like, Dnalevelc that says the Fourth Grade President’s an icebender, so maybe we can like, bring her over and do something ‘bout this crazy hothead.”

“Perhaps all Ikus needs is to cool down, being surrounded by so much heat all the time.” Yrret agreed.

“I don’t mind all this heat.” AlyakAm said. “It feels like… death. Our life force steadily melting away…”

“Hehe, I’m up for it!” Ikuyim perked. “Come on! Let’s go on an adventure!”

“It’s not much of an adventure, just flying to Dnalevelc to grab someone and bring them here to do something for us.” Yrret replied.

“Life’s an adventure! So come on, let’s go!” Ikuyim joyously ran to the treehouse first.

“Gee, climb many trees, much?” Egroeg remarked as they followed her.

“Gotta love the healthy spirit.” Yrret said.

**Dnalevelc; Onion River**

“The biggest mystery in life, Aliehs, is why the heck a bunch of onions flow down this river on a daily basis.” Nosam inquired as he moved onions out of the river with his bending. “I guess it’d be the ideal paradise if you liked that sort of thing. But I prefer to keep my liquids healthy.”

Aliehs held a pickup stick in one hand and stood soaking her feet in the water, droopy face and not looking the least bit interested in picking up trash. But it didn’t really matter as Nosam got the job done twice as effectively, the purified river flowing beautifully. “Perfect! This river’s clean enough for my _lovely_ Lorac to bathe in. Then I shall clean it again of the filth she acquired in her daily selfless struggles! Let us celebrate our victory with bananas, Aliehs!” He marched off proudly.

Aliehs waited a few seconds after he was gone, still uninterested. She hated bananas. Eventually, she found the strength in her legs to walk forward. But after stepping out of the river, she turned to look at its quiet ripples and gentle flow. It seemed to flow a lot faster with the trash all cleared out. A very rare instance happened when the sun poked through the clouds, making its ripples sparkle. Aliehs walked closer, and her mopey, gray, droopy self reflected in the pool. She never once saw a reflection… let alone one in water. It looked so weird… almost like a parallel world she could dive into.

Aliehs knelt down and reached her hand into the ripples. She reached in closer, not seeming to feel a bottom. “…WHOA!” She splashed in fast as dust into a vacuum.

Her body spun and spun as she plummeted down a watery vortex. Unable to get her bearings, unable to swim, just a sea of bubbles and ripples spinning in her vision. “HUUU!” She was suddenly standing straight on her feet, back above the river. But something looked drastically out of place: the sky was blue, with few fluffy white clouds, and a big, bright, shiny _thing_ in the sky that made the whole land light. Aliehs couldn’t look at it without keeping a hand by her face. How could anyone live under a thing like that. And where was she, anyway…

She heard light splashes in the river and looked right, seeing someone approach, her footsteps trudging across the ripples. It was a girl that looked just like her, raccoon ears, tail and all, but her T-shirt and sandals were green, and her tan skin looked much brighter and colorful. A merry smile was on her face as she picked nuggets out of the river. “Blimey. One of life’s biggest mysteries is where these nuggets come from. None may ever find out the answer, and hopefully none ever will. Because constantly wonderin’ a crazy thing like this is an adventure! And if ya don’t wonder, ya can’t adventure! Er, or was it ‘wander’. Over yonder?” She pointed that way, baffled. “Eh, EITHER WAY!” Her excited face returned. “Why, even marchin’ to the end of this thing will lead me to a whole new-” Not watching her path, she bumped into someone.

Sheila shook back to her senses and wore a look more quizzical. There stood a girl with grayish-tan skin, droopy blue eyes, a gray T-shirt and sandals, black hair and shorts, and brown raccoon ears and a tail.

Sheila studied the girl closely. She looked awfully familiar… but couldn’t put her tail on it. She loomed her eyes toward hers, then moved back, beginning to walk around the girl sideways. Sheila raised a strand of hair on Aliehs’s head, then lifted her tail to feel it. She got back in front and stretched Aliehs’s mouth, seeing those pale teeth, then pulled her nose up to peep inside. … … It took a lot more observing, but slowly but surely, the conclusion would reach Sheila. …She cried to the heavens-

“OH, BLIMEY!! IT’S MY LONG-LOST IDENTICAL TWIN SISTER!” She embraced the grayer raccoon in a hug and cried. “OH-HO-HO, my baaaabyyyy! I thought I’d never see you again, where ‘ave you BEEN all this time?!” D,:

Aliehs shoved her away. “You _idiot_ , I’m your Negative, not your _sister…”_

Her look became quizzical. “Moy NEGATIVE?? But that’s bloomin’ crazy! You don’t look a thing like me! I mean, you LOOK like me, but you’re all GLOOMY and WITHERY and, EAUCH!”

“Duh, I’m not _supposed_ to be like you…”

“WELL, WHY NOT? You look like you’ve NEVER seen the SUN! And do ya ever go on any adVENTURES??”

“None that I enjoy…”

“Well, THAT’S just rubbish! SURELY you musta been on SOME adventah. Like ME, for instance, goin’ through all that shrinking rubbish. You ever been shrunk? ‘Cause I have, and that was a wild ride.”

“Yeah. I have once. Wasn’t very fun. It was so boring.”

“Wait.” Sheila looked angered. “You mean you’ve been shrunkified… and ya DIDN’T _ENJOY_ IT?!”

“It wasn’t even written that well.”

“Well, that’s understandable. But YOU ‘ave a severe case of ‘lack of adventure’, and _I_ intend to CURE IT!! Come on, Bloke, we’re goin’ to the ocean!” She grabbed the dimmer girl’s arm and ran off hurriedly.

**Rehgallag Elementary**

To everyone’s happiness, the salad oil and prune juice mining grounds were shut down thanks to an inexplicably early Winter, the outside covered with snow and machines frozen. Even gym was a joy, as children skated around on the new, remodeled floor that was now an ice rink. “Oh, Yllehs. What you did for these children knows no amount of gratitude.” Eissej smiled, sat beside his coated friend on a bench.

“Well, it was no trouble.” She smiled. “I like to help people. I know I can’t help everyone, but I wanna do the best I can.”

“Well, I think you’re wonderful for doing so.” He leaned his head on her side. “For someone with so much ice, your center is warm.”

“Hee hee hee. I don’t know why, but I always feel like my ice is a symbol of insecurity. That’s why I like to, well, let it go, then I feel less insecure.”

“Let it go…” Eissej looked up thoughtfully, “Somebody should write a song about that. I bet it’d sell for nega-millions.”

“Heehee, maybe. I still can’t believe how big a hit _Venus Needs Dads_ was. Came out in -2011 and people _still_ can’t stop talking about it.”

“Ho, I know. If only there was some… _backwards_ universe where movies like that weren’t so overrated.”

“Hee hee hee! Only in our dreams.”

But the gym room erupted in screams when a R.E.P.M.A.C.S. (please don’t make me come up with backwards acronyms X() crashed through the ceiling. Sector -IC tumbled out, dizzy. “Uhhhh… should’ve let Ikuyim drive, since I ain’t know how to pilot.” Alol said.

“Ha ha ha! That was FUN, though! Good work, Alol!” Ikuyim barely looked fazed as she jumped up and skipped in the room- “WHOA!” and slipped on the ice. “Ha ha ha! Live and learn, get surprised by things like that!”

Eissej and Yllehs looked with worry as the five approached them. “So, um, what’s with all the _ice_?” AlyakAm asked. “Is there um, an _ice_ bender around?”

They exchanged nervous glances. “U-Um… I-I…I am…” Yllehs very carefully rose her hand.

“Sweet, dude! You can like, help us out with a PROBLEM or something!” Alol beamed.

“P-Problem?”

“The truth is, we heard there was an icebender here, and well, this friend of ours is a lavabender who’s turning the school into a lava pit, so we thought maybe you could, um _reason with her?”_ Yrret spoke sheepishly.

Yllehs looked down. “Reason with a-, lavabender? I dunno… it sounds kinda scary.”

“Well, um, we just thought, if you were an icebender, your personality would be opposite of hers, so you could talk to her, and maybe cool her down, b-both literally and, …”

“It would be awfully nice of you to try.” Eissej told her comfortingly. “You just said you love to help people.”

“I-I’d love to, but… w-what if I get burned-?”

“Oh JUST SHUT THE *** up and let’s just so FREEZE this chick already!” Ydnas stated impatiently as she stomped toward the wrecked ship. “HURRY UP!”

The duo grinned blushingly. “Hehe… I guess we’re a-go.” Eissej said.

“We’ll fix it up quickly.” Egroeg mentioned.

**Posiverse**

“YAAAAAAAH!” The song “A New Venture” was playing loudly as Sheila did a series of fast-paced, exciting activities with Aliehs along for the ride. Sheila’s face was very bright and wide, but Aliehs’s half-awake droopy look didn’t change one bit. Sheila stood high on her waterbike and rode the waves off the shore, zooming around and around in circles and catching the wind in her hair. Aliehs sat along the side and let her feet skip across the water, looking as though she’d fall asleep any minute. Sheila changed course toward the beach and wore a smirk of excitement, her foot pressing the gas pedal with full force. The beach goers scurried away when the bike smashed along the shore, and Sheila and Aliehs ended up with their heads in the sand.

“WOOHOOOO!” Sheila popped out first. “That was TIGHT, eh? Come on, let’s go do MORE!” She grabbed her opposite’s foot and dragged her off.

She was soon strapping rollerblades and protective padding on hers and her Negative’s body. “Now a sport that REALLY keeps you on yer toes is old-fashioned roller-skating! And when I say old-fashioned, I mean RIDING DOWN THE GRIM RAMP AT A JILLION MILES PER HOUR BEFORE WE ZOOM INTO _SPACE_!!!” Her voice echoed from her perch as high as the clouds, at the very top of this colossal thousand-meter ramp. “Here weeeeeee GO!”

Pulling Aliehs along, the two raccoons shot down like flaming comets. Their bodies were truly on fire as their speed was unparalleled by any other force. Sheila’s skin was steadily pulling away from her body, distinctly noticeable from her eyes and teeth. And for Aliehs, this was pretty noticeable since her flesh was already so droopy. _“Wooooooo_ ooooooOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO!” They finally launched off the bottom ramp, scorched with their trail of fire, and flew straight into the stars above.

A Moonbase operative was doing patrol along the moon’s surface when he saw two raccoons on rollerblades gliding overhead, upside-down with one’s arms up in excitement. He said in his communicator, “Houston, we have a problem.”

_“Albert, I swear to God, just because I was named that, you make that joke one more time and I’m blowing your brains out.”_

Sheila and Aliehs were at the top of a mountain next as both slid down on separate skis and equal speed. Sheila swiftly avoided rocks and trees coming her way while Aliehs didn’t use her sticks at all, but her limp feet shifted weight on their own so the skis maneuvered away from the obstacles. When Sheila launched off a ramp and landed perfectly, Aliehs tripped so now her right ski was keeping along, and her left leg stuck straight in the air. “That’s a good idea!” Sheila mimicked this pose, and both top legs ended up catching branches and swirling them around before they went flying onto a higher route.

Sheila wrapped her legs around Aliehs’s head and rode her like a skiing horsie, her wide grin unchanging as she maneuvered Aliehs’s body and avoided hazards (she was still wearing her skis as well, so they formed an ‘X’ in front of Aliehs). She shifted Aliehs’s weight to the left to go along a sideways slope, then rightward when the slope shifted that way. They ended up going straight up a loop-di-loop and shooting down the long vertical slope that followed. As they shot down like a rocket, Sheila flipped Aliehs onto her shoulders so she could be the one skiing. Aliehs, not hanging on tight at all, flew away from Sheila’s grasp like that, and as the Positive looked back in confusion, she plopped into the snow and left a perfect shape of herself. Aliehs drifted down upside-down like a measly feather and softly buried her head in the softness.

Sheila was dashing through a thick, vast jungle as swarms of angry apes chased with the desire to tear their limbs to pieces. Her speed proved far superior even with Aliehs along, but they had to zip directions several times to avoid surprising snakes, dart traps, and the usual skeleton-filled pitfall. They eventually dashed into an ancient temple and easily ran across the traps with Sheila’s speed, finally making it to the center where the Crystal Skull rested. But the moment Sheila took it, a giant ***king boulder came rolling out, chasing the two all the way back to the exit. Aliehs slipped from her grasp as Sheila slid out of the closing door, but reached back and pulled her opposite out just in time. The boulder crashed, and bore the logo of _Kingdom of the Crystal Skull_.

Sheila and Aliehs were now seated on something like a horsie, with the former sparing a look back at her grayer self and giving an assuring nod. The wind brushed past their hair as they were thousands of meters in the sky again, under some flying metal craft. The craft released the missile they were sitting on, and fell faster and faster to the fortress below. The speed was even greater than on the Grim Ramp, and the heat would surely burn the flesh and bone off their bodies. It would only be a matter of time before the missile made impact. That time… was right now, actually. (End song.)

The building was swallowed in a storm of fire and ash, steadily collapsing it in a million pieces of roaring rubble. The cloud of ash grew wider and wider, for no remnants of this doomed fortress would remain. _“… … THIS WAS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LOIIIIIIIFFFFFE!”_

**Dnaleci; Rutsua Elementary**

Negative Sector IC returned to Dnaleci with Team Yllehs in tow and cautiously approached the boiling pit around the school. Ikus Latsyrc kept her perch on the lone island with her back facing them. “There she is! Heeeey, Ikus!” Ikuyim waved.

“GO away, Sister-chan.” She turned for that brief moment, then faced forward.

“Wellll, like, guess it’s up to you now.” Alol told Yllehs.

With a very nervous gulp, Yllehs threw her ice into the magma and froze it solid. She climbed down and very carefully stepped across to approach Ikus. She stopped before her tall island and spoke to her. “H-Hey… Ikus?”

“WHAAAT.” She turned with her mouth wide open as she yelled that.

“H-Hey…” She was grinning nervously, “I was wondering… why are you so mad?”

“Because I AM! THAT’S why!” Turned away.

“W-Well there must be a reason.” Yllehs walked a bit closer. “You can’t just be… angry. Is it insecurity? ‘Cause uh, I kinda feel the same way, and I also-”

“Aren’t you listening? I said GO AWAY!” She forced a lava geyser up from below, Yllehs jumping back.

She froze it quickly. “P-Please, just listen first. I only want you to-”

“NO!” ‘nother geyser.

She froze, “W-Would you just-”

“Nuh-uh.” Geyser.

Froze. “Please-”

Geyser.

Froze, “J-”

Geyser.

Froze.

Geyser.

Froze.

Geyser.

“WILL YOU JUST STOP IIIIIT?!?” Yllehs unleashed a mighty beam of ice that made Ikus’s platform frosty. The 7-year-old already jumped off and sent a magma quake along the ground that made Yllehs dodge. Ikus stomped a series of magma rocks from the ground and hurled at Yllehs, but the icebender was quick to dodge and zip a road of ice along the ground, causing Ikus to slip.

Yllehs blasted a storm of ice beams, but Ikus regained her ground and burned parallel paths of magma that curved and connected at Yllehs, who jumped back, but the magma continued and burned a row of 8’s, with little islands in the ‘holes’. Yllehs carefully jumped the islands as Ikus came for her, tossing ice blasts that Ikus ducked before grabbing magma from the side and chucking it at her. Yllehs flipped back and froze a road of ice along the islands, skiing over to Ikus and jumping to kick, but Ikus ducked and started flinging a round of magma streams.

Yllehs hurriedly tossed an ice beam at each stream, alternating left and right, left and right, before Ikus finally thrusted herself toward Yllehs on a magma wave, the latter dodging right to throw a quick beam that froze Ikus’s wave and caused her to fly forward and crash. She recovered and burned a magma pool around her before making her platform rise with a lava geyser, which she then spun like a tornado toward Yllehs. The fourth-grade leader ran away and tried to throw ice back, but the cyclone stayed burning as a trail of lava was left in its wake.

Tired of running, Yllehs created a trail of ice through the air and surfed away, skiing around and at level with Ikus as the angry child threw more lava rocks. Yllehs kept the ice road going with her right hand and sent a steady beam of ice with her left at the top of the cyclone, but before it could freeze completely, a magma rock hit the ice path and caused Yllehs to fall. The cyclone was still drilling toward her, but Yllehs spun back to her feet and released a double ray of ice that froze the cyclone and flew Ikus off.

“RRRRRAAAAAAH!” Ikus threw both arms down and burned a wide pit of magma around her perch. Yllehs slid back and froze a great deal of ground into ice, hurriedly waving her arms as a bunch of snow spiraled and bunched above her. Ikus also whirled her arms in a fluid motion to gather and bunch several streams of lava, a massive ball of ice or lava forming on either side. Yllehs’s side was blue and freezing, Ikus’s was red and molting, and both elemental spheres grew brighter and larger. Once both were at maximum height, Yllehs spun and twirled, and Ikus spun and twirled, before both girls thrusted arms forward and launched the powerful beams of clashing temperatures. Heat met cold, fire met ice, lava met snow, both elements clashed and mixed into a force greater than they ever saw. It was almost like a mini sun was created, for the clash grew bright enough to force the viewers to cover their eyes.

A gentle snow fell over the school grounds. A great statue, depicting Yllehs and Ikus’s fight, stood over the playground. “Huff, huu, huff, huu…” After Ikus caught her breath, she viewed the statue in its wonder.

“Siiigh, huff, siiigh, huff…” Yllehs tried to stand straight. “Are you… better, yet?”

“…Y…Yeah… I think I am!” Ikus stood straight and smiled wide. “Now I know why I was so angry! I’ve always loved getting into fights at school… but because of my lavabending, nobody wanted to fight! You were the first one brave enough to fight me in ages. Now that all my steam is let out, I feel AAAAALL better! Thank you, Ice-chan! I hope we get to FIGHT again!”

Now more joyous than ever, Ikus skipped away.

**Cleveland; Nugget River**

“Blimey, I can’t believe we came outta that missile launch with only minor nosebleeds.” Sheila said as she and Aliehs walked across the river, arms and heads in bandages. “But then we tripped on that banana peel and got in THIS mess. All in all though, I had a really fun day with you, Backwards Me! I hope I can say the same for you?”

“Mmm…”

“Well, it’s a start. Say, how’d you get in this world, anyway?” She turned to Aliehs.

“Well, a Positive or Negative can mainly enter the other’s world if both are standing in front of the same reflective source, otherwise you need a spell or something. It probably happened when you were walking in the river the same time we cleaned it and the sun started shining. That’s how Nerehc got to Cheren, when he was looking in his dresser mirror.”

“Ahh, well that’s a handy explanation! So I guess you’ll be going back then?”

“Guess so. I won’t fit in in this world, much too bright.”

“Well, that’s crikey. But just make me a promise then, will ya, Me?”

“Hmm?”

Sheila held her unwrapped arm out. “Promise me that… you’ll live your life full of excitement and thrills. Have tons of adventures and make every event exciting! Like if ya ever get shrunk again, run around on the floor and try not to get stepped on! That’s what REALLY gets yer blood pumpin’. Matter of fact, ol’ Anthony’s goin’ through the bizzo right now, I oughta tell him that!”

Aliehs never curved her frown or opened her eyes more than they were. She looked at Sheila’s colorful smirk with the same gray, gloomy form. But she reached her free hand and lightly smacked Sheila’s. With that, Sheila saluted, and Aliehs insipidly mimicked the motion. Aliehs then turned around and jumped in the river, splashing back to her dimension.

Aliehs resurfaced in the Negaverse just in time for the patch of sun to fade away. She heard footsteps in the river and saw Nosam and Lorac walking over. “Isn’t this water most refreshing for your lovely tootsies?” Nosam asked her.

“Hm hm hm. Well, at least it’s clean enough to walk in.” She smiled. “…! ALIEHS!” Lorac saw the sight of the bandaged girl and ran over. “What happened to you?! You look like you’ve spent the day with some MASOCHIST!”

“I’m fine… Hey, um… you blokes wanna find a giant ice cube and slide down a volcano?”

They exchanged the most baffled, utterly confused expressions. “‘BLOKES’??”

“Eh… never mind.”

“Why don’t we just go get ice cream, Aliehs?” Lorac suggested as both took her hand and led her away.

“Can we walk around in a giant freezer and get lost?”

“You’ve been out in the sun too long, dearest…” Nosam thought as the tiniest bit of sun shone in the clouds.

**Dnaleci**

The teams of -IC and Team Yllehs casually walked away from the school grounds with the chaos long behind them. “So like, to keep Ikus from melting the school, we basically gotta FIGHT ‘er now?” Alol questioned.

“Goodness, I almost prefer it if she just stay angry.” Yrret moaned.

“He ha ha! Ikus is such a silly face!” Ikuyim laughed, skipping along.

“Regardless, we appreciate you coming to help us, Yllehs.”

“Yah, thanks…” AlyakAm said uncaringly.

“Hehe… I don’t usually get so violent… but I’m glad to help.” Yllehs blushed.

“It is truly a blessing Ikus doesn’t go to our school.” Eissej commented.

“Would really make things ***kin’ exciting.” Ydnas snapped.

“Well, I guess we’ll just take you home now.” Egroeg figured.

“Better leave Ikuyim here to walk Ikus home.” AlyakAm said.

“He he ha! Kus-Kus just never changes!” Ikuyim laughed.

And so, the school stood happily ever after for the rest of that day. The sun poked through the clouds, illuminating the statue of Ikus and Yllehs that would stand for eons.

 

**Thank God THIS didn’t take as long. So yeah, Ikus has issues, and the only way to work them out is to beat people up. :P Oi, bet you don’t wanna live in the same house as her. :P So next time, shenanigans with Negatives continue. See you then.**


	6. Ynohtna’s Happy School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ynohtna, Innus, and Ydnic invite gloomy people to a happy school! Meanwhile, Ylime goes on a misadventure with Yllib.

**I really should get to work on some Seven Lights. So I shall. But enjoy this chapter.**

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Chapter -15: Ynohtna’s Happy School

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**Ynohtna’s House**

“YAAAAAY! Da da da, Saturdaaaaay!” sang Ynohtna EiznekCm, marching down the stairs. “Da, da, da, Saturdaaaaay!” He greeted his mom in the kitchen. “Hey, Mom! It’s Saturday! No schoooool! You wanna go plaaaaay?”

The slim, groggy woman sipped a cup of coffee before returning to her newspaper. “Honey, this is the one day I get to myself, Sundays I work at homeless shelter, then it’s back to work, I prefer to enjoy it.” Eigna told him.

“Who says you WON’T enjoy it! We’ll have FUN together! Don’t you want fuuuuun??”

“Why don’t you go ask your sister, Darling?”

“Okay!” He skipped back upstairs and into his sister’s boring room. “Hello, Ellehcim! Would you like to go play?”

She appeared to be on a computer at her kid-size table. “No, Ynohtna. Mom taught me about stocks and bonds and stuff. Getting started early.”

“Awwwww but you’re five years oooooold.” Ynohtna frowned. “Why don’t you ever wanna plaaaaaay?”

“Planning for my future. Starting now. Take some hints from Ibyf. Good to get started early.”

His head down, Ynohtna shut her door and returned downstairs. He approached his father, who was lied back on the couch with a smile on his face. “This stinks, Dad. Why doesn’t anybody ever want to play with me?”

“Because we were unfortunate enough to be born in a world of blind people, Son. But hey! I know _someone_ you can play with!” ;D

Ynohtna gasped widely. “You mean! …?”

“Get in the car, Son.” Yevrah said with an assuring smile.

**Startsville**

Yevrah drove his son to Startsville, one of the happiest, sunniest places on Nega-Earth. He parked in front of a house and watched his son walk up to the door. With a bright smile, Ynohtna knocked and waited for an answer. The door creaked open, unveiling the orange frizzy-haired girl with black eyes, no nose, pink dress with pink strap-on shoes, white leggings, and very wide smile. Her eyes filled with delight, and many teeth were shown, for both kids were happy to see each other. “COUSIIIIN!” She embraced Ynohtna in a hug.

“Ydniiiiic!” Ynohtna hugged back.

“I haven’t seen you in ages!”

“Hehe, it was only weeks.”

“But it felt like _yeeeeeeears_.”

“HUHUHUHUHU- snort!” laughed both cousins, until Ydnic snorted.

“So how’ve things been going for you?” Ydnic asked as they walked down the road.

“Bright and shiny! …I wish. My friends are so boring. Nobody wants to do anything, they keep worrying about their future.”

“Those poor guuuuys.” She frowned sadly and made bulbous teary eyes. “But my mom says it’s a real problem everywhere. Everyone so MOPEY and SAAAAD.”

“I know, Ydnic. I wish there was something we could do for everyone. If only annoying school wasn’t so in the way.”

“Huuuuuu!” Her mouth widened to a smile again. “That’s it, Ynohtna! We’ll start a school! A FUN School!”

“A Fun School? Whaddyou mean?”

“We’ll have a class that teaches people to have fun, and invite EVERYONE we know, and tell ’em to invite everyone THEY know that’s _saaaad_ and gloomy. And it’ll all be right here in Startsville! Where they can start a BRAND new life of happiness and smiles!” :D

“That’s a great idea, Ydnic! But how will we get everyone?”

“My mom has a private plane! She’ll fly to all our friends’ houses and we’ll get everyone here!”

“Yeah! And maybe we’ll get Innus from Senippilihp to help us run classes. I bet she’d be great at it!”

“It’s gonna be so much fun, Ynohtna! I can’t wait to get started! Let’s go get my mom right now! Uh, assuming she’s not looking for Dad again. He’s always wandering off.”

**Somewhere in Notgnihsaw**

A tall, slim man in a white shirt with blue stripe, orange hair, big pink nose, and wide eyes and buckteeth wandered lost on this strange planet he had no idea what was. “ARK! ARK!” he barked exactly like a seal. For he was Yllib, father of Ydnic, whose very humanity and possession of a brain was questioned.

At the same time, a blonde girl with big square glasses and white lab coat wandered mindlessly downtown. Don’t let the lab coat fool you, for she was Ylime Yelrag, and her head was hollow as a chocolate Easter bunny. She couldn’t even walk right as her arms hung limp, her body wobbled back and forth, but she still had a carefree smile on her face. When she bumped into someone, she fell on her behind. “Duhuhu. I fell.”

“ARK. ARK.” barked Yllib.

“Hiya, Bignose Guy. Are you an ostrich?”

“ARK. ARK.”

“Duhuhuuuu! YAAAY! An ostrich!” Ylime embraced him in a hug.

“ARK.”

“What are you doing out here in Wisconsin, little fella? Or, um, wait, is this Washington? All of this backwards writing is really confusing. But den why are we talking frontwards? Unless… we are actually speaking backwards but seems like frontwards to our view! OHHHH, DOG! WHAT KIND OF FREAKY PARALLEL UNIVERSE IS THIS?”

“ARK! ARK.”

“What’s that, little fella? You got separated from your family? Awwwww, it’s okay. I’ll help you find your home.” She patted his back. “Which way is it?”

Yllib stood very thoughtfully and contemplatively. “…ARK! ARK! ! …”

“Sure, buddy! I’ll take you home to Backwards Antarctica! Huhuhu! You’ll be reunited with your platypus family in no time!”

Yllib looked at the camera with his wide, clueless face. “!”

**Startsville**

“Ladiiiieeees and gentlemen!” Ydnic announced cheerfully.

“Welcome to the grand opening of Ynohtna’s School for Smiles!” Innus beamed.

“Where we work to turn ALL your frowns UPSIDE-DOWN!” Ynohtna smiled widely. “So let’s let today’s shiny faces introduce their selves!”

Seated on small dinner chairs with gray, glum faces were Aleakim Notirahc, Aliehs Citnarf, Ibyf Thgirbluf, Yllas and Yevrah Reprah, Ellehcim EiznekCm, Egroeg and AlyakAm Gnik, and Arorua Onu. “I know a few faceeeees!” Innus grinned playfully. “MOMMYYYYY!” She raised her mother’s arm.

“… How long is this going to take.” Akim asked boredly.

“As long as the DAY IS wide!” Ynohtna grinned. “And we will not rest until all of your days are bright and full of sunshine! No sad face left behind!”

“And like, how do you plan to do so?” Egroeg asked.

“ _That_ I… did not quite think of. But if ANYONE has any ideas…”

Aliehs raised her hand. “Uhhhh… I wrote down some things.”

She walked up and handed Ynohtna a slip of paper. The boy skimmed what was on it and reached the conclusion. “These are… FANTASTIC ideas! Way to go, Aliehs! You get extra credit!” He patted her head. He then raised the list high and proclaimed, “CLASS IS OFFICIALLY IN SESSIOOOON! Let’s get started NASA (Now Approximately Soon Anyways)!”

Innus and Ydnic peeked at the paper and gulped at its contents. They exchanged worried glances.

**Dnaleci; Salt Rock Volcano**

The glum, uninterested faces of the students turned to ones of horror as they sat at the top of the volcano, each seated on large ice cubes. “Our first test will be a test of balance and stability!” Ynohtna smiled brightly. “Just race to the bottom of this volcano with these specially made box sleds, first one to the bottom is the winner! This test requires you to keep a steady balance on your ice cube, for if you can balance yourselves on ice slowly melting down a volcano, you can stable the balance in your hearts!”

“Ehhhhh Ynohtna, is this really the right way to cure sadness?” Innus asked.

“Well, it gets your blood pumpin’.” He shrugged. “That’s a step. So everybody READY?!”

Their eyes stayed wide as they exchanged another glance.

“Ooooon your mark. Get set-”

“Wah-wah-WAAAAAH!” Yevrah already began sliding, having lost balance on his cube.

“Hey, no cheatsies! GO!!”

The others began sliding down the volcano at frightening speed, each racer clutching the ends of their slippery cube for dear life and narrowly swerving to avoid lava pits and erupting geysers. “Aaaaand AKIM takes the lead, followed by Yllas, OH! Scratch that, folks, Egroeg makes a sudden pass, and Aliehs is keeping steady behind him, but AlyakAm gives a quick boost and is now SURFING by her brother!”

Egroeg’s and AlyakAm’s faces were stiff with teeth clenched tight. “Wht d’ you s’pose wll be th rsult ‘f ths, Brothr?” the latter asked.

“Nthing gd, Nn am crtn.”

The path became very narrow and snaky, but while the others slid across just fine, Akim and Ibyf ended up going down the slope to the boiling pit. “HUUUU! They’re going to burn!” Ydnic panicked.

“MOM, QUICK! WARP OUT OF THERE WITH YOUR PSYCHIC!” Innus screamed

“You too, Ibyf!” Ynohtna shouted.

“That won’t do anything!” Akim argued.

“I REFUSE to use these wings.” Ibyf declared.

“WHY THE HECK NOT?! What’s more important, your future or your LIFE?”

“If I fly, I will become too lightheaded and therefore be distracted!”

“And Innus, you have GOT to understand that leaving your mind in the clouds all day will NOT-”

“IF YOU GUYS DON’T FLOAT, I’LL GO INTO BOTH YOUR ROOMS AND FILL THEM WITH FLOWERS AND SUPER SWEET CANDY!” Ydnic screamed with blank white eyes and venomous teeth.

“!!!” In a flash, Ibyf’s wings flapped, and Akim went flying in the air, their ice cubes dissolving into a rock platform while the girls floated weightless. It was the strangest feeling they’ve experienced. “Whoa…”

Ynohtna, Innus, and Ydnic hurried down. “Are you two okay?” Ynohtna asked.

“I…I feel so… weird.” Akim spoke.

“I…I know.” spoke Ibyf quietly. Seeing the earth meters below their dangling feet, their bodies touching nothing but the air… feeling absolutely lightheaded, like a feather… it was the strangest sensation they ever knew.

“Hee hee hee! Okay, Mom, you can come down!” Innus laughed.

Akim and Ibyf carefully took land beside the other students at the base of the volcano. “Not to be _helpful_ , but can we take any tests that aren’t, y’know, death-insured?” Yllas questioned.

“A nice, _gentle_ test would be pretty soothing right now.” Ydnic figured.

“Hehehe. Okay.” Ynohtna blushed. “I know something we can do.”

**Senippilihp; Notirahc Household**

Ylime guided Yllib across the seas, all the way to Akim’s house. “Duuuh… Is this Backwards Antarctica? I think that aardvark gave us a misleading cookie book.”

“ARK. ARK.”

“Let’s enter this moon tree and ask the turtle for directions!” With that, Ylime approached the doorbell, raised her finger, and: BANG BANG BANG!’ed her head against the door.

_“DADDY WHAT IS THAT, DADDY WHAT IS THAT, IS INNUS HOME, IS INNUS HOME??”_

“Nnn, DOWN girl, staaaaay!” Reiniar opened the door a crack, struggling to keep his daughter back. “Can I help you?”

“Hiya, guy with circle glasses!” Ylime greeted. “Would you direct us to the ointment factory?”

“The ointment factory? We don’t have anything like that around-”

“INNUUUUUUS! WHY YOU NO DIRECT ME TO HAPPY SCHOOOOL!” Ycrad came shooting out the door and zipping to the city. “INNUUUUS! Innuuuuus! _Innuuuuuuus! …”_

“Augh! You SEE what you make me do?!” Reiniar stated. “YCRAAAAD! _COME BACK HERE!”_ He hightailed after his insane daughter.

Ylime charged after them with her upper body and arms hanging back (similar to Ed when he runs). “I smell a BUTTERNUT chase, guuuuys!”

Yllib ran after her on all fours. “ARK! ARK!”

**Startsville; Ydnic’s House**

“It’s time for arts & crafts, YAAAAAAY!” cheered Ydnic with joy.

The gloomy-faced students were at a colorful table with many colored papers, scissors, markers, any of the sort. “Your next test will be making something BEAUTIFUL and creative, and secretly mailing to one of your classmates, to show them how HAPPY and cuddly you make them feel!”

“Everybody in this room detests me.” AlyakAm stated.

“I am under no obligation to show gratification to anyone.” Egroeg followed.

“Not sweet.” Yevrah commented.

“Just try it, guuuys! It’ll be fun!”

The students begrudgingly started cutting, drawing, doing whatever they felt like for whichever individual they had no care for. Meanwhile, Ydnic was walking around, observing them with her shiny face. She decided to go up and stalk Yllas. _“And what are_ you _making?” :)_

“A Hanging Tree. Where people get hanged. And they die.”

“Oh, _darn_. I was making that, too.” AlyakAm frowned.

“Heeheehee! Silly minds think alike! One of you oughta change! And a Hanging Tree sounds too sad.”

“I’m not changing.” Yllas said. “It’s a song I’m quite fascinated with. So… mysterious.” She then spoke in a gentle, sing-song voice. _“Are you…Are you… coming to the tree. Where they strung up a man, they say murdered three. Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be. If we met at midnight, underneath that tree.”_

“And then it’s several other verses that repeat it, but other things happen on the tree, like a dead man calls for his love, where he tells her to run, and then they hang their selves.” Yevrah explained. “I’d like to do so with our ball-in-cups. Sweet…”

“Okay, um… let’s just focus on our work.” Ydnic frowned, half frightfully.

The arts & crafts went for 20 minutes before they crafted their own boxes and placed the items within. After they annoyedly marked the addresses-which-were-right-there-anyway, they put them on a table. Ydnic happily grabbed an orange one and shook it by her ear. “ _This_ one’s for Egroeg! Heeeeeere you go!”

She handed him the box which he unwrapped, pulling out a paper dolly of himself, frowning. “I made it for you.” AlyakAm stated. “If you pluck your hair off and put it on it, I’ll be able to control you with it.”

“I am touched that I give you such pleasure in control.”

“Next one’s for Ellehcim!” Ydnic handed her a pink box. “Open it!”

Inside was a colorful folder with many slots. “It’s for you.” Akim said. “I heard your mom was teaching you business, that’s good for organizing files.”

“Thank you, Miss.”

“Next, we have Alyak!” Ydnic gave her a blue box. “I wonder what it is?”

She unwrapped, finding a necklace of blue beads. “It’s from me.” Yevrah told her. “They’re meant to represent poison berries. Try one.”

“For dinner.”

“Yevraaaaah! You’re next!” Ydnic have him a yellow present.

Inside was a paper-made gun. “It has one bullet.” Ellehcim said. “Use it wisely.”

“Hehehe! Neeext is for…” Ydnic gasped at this red box. “MMMEEEEEEE!” She joyously unwrapped and found… a doll of herself hanging from a stick.

“Put that on a tree.” Yllas told her.

“Uhhh… okay!” She tossed it away casually. “Next is a package for… Nerehc?” She observed the black package with red ribbon curiously.

“I made a beetle out of beads.” Arorua confirmed. “To symbolize how I feel about him.”

“That’s beauuutifuuuul! Well, I hope he enjoys! And last, but not least, it’s for… Ynohtna!” Ydnic handed a green box to her cousin. “Oooooo the suspension is murder!”

Ynohtna curiously unwrapped. “Oh, it’s a picture! I wonder who…”

 _EXTREEEEEEEEEME._ It was one of all of them on fire, zipping downtown on a tiny bucket.

Ynohtna spared a curious glance to the one he believed made this. “Aliehs?”

She raised a brow slightly.

“This is a TERRIFIC activity to do next! Quick, find some mop-buckets and let’s get started!” He ran off, very eager to do this.

“Uh-! Why are you even IN this class??” Innus questioned.

“To fast-forward my lifespan. And you guys could use it, too.” Aliehs replied.

**Ainigriv; Nega-Sector V Treehouse**

Things were calm as usual in the Sector V Treehouse. Nollid heard a knock at their balcony door and went to answer. “Hi, hate to have to speak to you,” Reiniar began, “but my daughter escaped and, for Lord knows what reason, we ended up in _this_ town, and I was wondering if she ran by here.”

“We got plenty o’ loonies, but none by that stature. She could be at Sane Reboog’s if you haven’t looked there.”

“Sigh, I just need to find her fast because the people I’m accompanied with-”

“WHERE IS SHE?!” Ycrad pounced on her father’s head, gripping it tight and searching around frantically. “INNUS?! ARE YOU IN THERE? COME BAAAAACK!” She shot in like a bullet.

“ROOTY-TOOTY TUESDAYS?! O-KAY!” Ylime cheered, riding Yllib into the treehouse.

Ycrad began making chaos down the hall, causing tons of hamsters to dash out. Ylime’s eyes grew wide at the creatures. “MICE-CAAAAAATS!”

 _“Aaaaah!”_ The furry creatures skittered away in fear.

“COME BACK, little dickens!” Ylime got on all fours, trying to pounce them. “Let me brush your BUNIONS!” She and Yllib chased as they hopped off the balcony and windows.

“HEEEEY! GET BACK HERE WITH MAH HAMSTERS, YOU LITTLE TWERP!” Eitra was on the warpath, kicking down the couch with Eirik and Akurah on it and bursting down the wall. “I’m gonna RAM YOUR HEAD in two if you think about stompin’ them!”

Eelyah peeked out. “Yaaaay! Breakfeeeest!” She chopped the chair in two before jumping after.

“EEEEEEEEEEEE.” Ycrad shot out as well.

“Augh… Dog blast it!!” Reiniar was on the move again.

**Dnalhsa outskirts**

Their worried faces were back as Egroeg, Akim, Yevrah, Ydnic, and Aliehs were stuffed in a mop-bucket, buttfirst, while AlyakAm, Ibyf, Yllas, Ellehcim, and Arorua sat on the back handle of each respective one, legs wrapped around it and hands clutched tight. “We’re gonna have a mop-bucket race downtown!” Ynohtna announced. “Like go-karts, except this takes more careful maneuvering. First one to Sane Reboog’s is the winner, everyone ready??”

Another fright-glance.

Taking that as a ‘yes,’ Innus used her psychic to pull each bucket back along rubber slingshots. “On your maaaaark: get see-”

The racers went flying like bullets toward the city. “Uhhh… I blinked.” Innus blushed.

They felt like the flesh would fly off their heads like hoods, mouths first, as the world blurred on their way to Dnalhsa. They swerved and wobbled as they sped between many lines of cars, the only sounds being the whirring of wind and honking of horns. “YAAH!” AlyakAm’s head scratched against a mirror, flinging her hat off. “Watch where you’re steering!”

“I thought YOU were in command!” Egroeg freaked.

Meanwhile, on Arorua and Aliehs’s end, it really seemed like the former was doing the steering. “Nnnnnn!” Missed a Stop sign, “Nnnnnn!” Dodged a bus. “Aaaaaalieeeeehs! I can use help he-e-e-e-e-ere!”

The raccoon was merely a dead weight stashed in the bucket, arms and legs hanging limp. “I did this before. Usually plays out fine.”

Ibyf and Akim almost hit multiple cars, so both hurriedly used their flight and psychic to raise the bucket, and drop back on the road to catch breath. “This is exactly why I don’t want my daughter getting involved in such things!” the adult exclaimed.

“I second that. No decent future can come of this!”

The duo of Ellehcim and Ydnic were fairing okay. “Hey, Ydnic? How do you put up with my brother, anyway?”

“He’s usually pretty fun… most of the time.” Dodged a truck. “Now I question his intellect.”

But eventually, all paths would connect, as each pair was en route to the veggie-themed restaurant. Tons of shattered glass, crushed tables, and cries of agony were the grand result of this race. “…I say it’s a pretty even tie.” Ynohtna said before a car exploded.

**EiznekCm Household**

Nerehc kicked back on the couch with a cool smile on his face, happily playing _Sin City SD_ for the Odnetnin SD. He, LIL-DVL2; and a female avatar, DVL-LVR3, grabbed a couple guns and began blasting a daycare to pieces, blood and tears everywhere. The two avatars grinned and high-fived before moving to the hospital.

Nerehc gave a small chuckle. Playing with his online friend filled him with delight. His mother walked in and said, “Well, I have your beetle costume for Halloween. Though I don’t see what’s so wrong about dressing as a devil.”

“Because, it’s cliché. And devils aren’t even scary to us, bugs are a whole ’nother story.”

“Well, I suppose. I still worry about that galactic dictator, Nerehc. I hear her agent was recently in Anaeco, and they’re steadily working to recruit the Nimbi. Before long, all Earthly races may be trying to attack you.”

“Pssh, what can they do to me, Mom? Even that dictator, her psychic powers didn’t even work on me.”

“Only because your will is stronger. Just be careful, Nerehc. I wouldn’t wanna have to bail you out. Now do me a favor and go find Arorua, she’s been out pretty late.”

“Yeah yeah, ’soon as I finish killing the pope.”

“Hm hm, don’t get too attached by that girlfriend of yours.” She smirked. “You’ll make Inin jealous.” On that, she walked away.

“Pssh… Sipa isn’t my girlfriend.” Nerehc focused on the game as they began to invade the church. The girl avatar was excitedly attacking the pianist while Nerehc chuckled peacefully.

**Dnalhsa Park**

Ynohtna’s nine students were on the park benches, covered in bruises and bandages. “Okaaay, okaaay, so maybe things got a _weeee_ bit too extreme.” Ynohtna admitted. “But _I_ feel like we made some progress today, and your spirits got a little more uplifted. Tomorrow, I think it would be nice if we-”

“Look, Ynohtna, this was fun and all, but I don’t think we’re coming back.” Arorua stated.

“I was kind enough to try this for my daughter, but I missed a whole day of work, and I need to get back on it.” Akim followed.

“If this was to shorten our lifespan, I am disappointed.” Alyak said.

“Enduring time with these people was no enjoyment, either.” Egroeg noted.

“So, if you mind… we’ll be going now.” Yllas said, so with that, they began to head home.

“Excruciatingly not sweet…” Yevrah concluded.

Hearing these dissatisfied statements brought a frown to Ynohtna’s face. “Siiiiigh.”

“Don’t worry, Ynohtna.” Ydnic smiled, taking his hand. “You tried your best.”

“Yeah… But I just wish I reminded them about joy in life.”

“I think Aliehs found some joy…” Innus commented.

_“Aaaaaaahh! Aaaaaahh!”_

The trio and students looked around. “What was that?” Ynohtna asked.

A cloud of dust was zooming toward them, created by a dashing Ycrad with sharp teeth. “IIIIIIINNUUUUUUUUUS!”

“Y-Y-Ycrad?!” freaked both Innus and Akim.

“MICE-CAAAAAATS!” Ylime came riding like a horsie after the hamsters.

“OOOOOO YOU BETTER NOT!” Eitra charged after her with Eelyah on his shoulders.

Innus panicked and levitated to avoid her charging sister, and the others dodged the other crazies as they were headed for the town. “Oh no! Those guys’ll turn that whole city to rubble!” Innus exclaimed.

“I am NOT bailing my daughter out of a loony penitentiary again!” Akim proclaimed.

“But how can we stop them?” asked Ydnic.

“With a LITTLE fun.” Ynohtna replied seriously. “TO THE MOP-BUCKETS!”

The mop-bucket groups hopped back on their buckets as Innus stretched back the slingshot and launched them forward. Ibyf flew Akim high above Ycrad before spinning and launching the woman full force. Ycrad whipped around and blasted the bucket away, but Akim already teleported behind and slapped psychic in her face, knocking Ycrad out clean. Yllas and Yevrah were after Yllib and Ylime, the duo twirling their ball-in-cups and launching at the walrus man’s legs, catching him while Ylime flew off.

Ydnic and Ellehcim launched farther than Eitra and Eelyah, with Ellehcim kicking Ydnic back to shove Eelyah off her brother’s shoulders. The muscular Nagillig was still charging like a rhino, but AlyakAm plucked a hair off her brother’s head and stuck it on the doll. “WHOOOOA!” She hurled the doll like a football, thereby hurling her brother as he swirled in the air and crashed the boy like a missile. They both lay dizzy as AlyakAm smiled, made the doll clap, and made Egroeg clap.

“Huhuhuhu! Catch meeee, catch meeee!” Ylime still ran like a half-limp person. Catching up to her on their mop-bucket, Arorua and Aliehs leaped, twirled in the air, arms wrapped around the other, and caught Ylime perfectly between them. “Aww-hawwwwww. I woulda joined you in this kissing booth if you said so.”

“SIIIIGH.”

The team met back with Reiniar on the outskirts of town with Ycrad in a straightjacket, Eelyah in a crib with Eitra rocking her, Ylime distracted with a piece of buttercheese above her head, tied by a string on a fishing rod held by Egroeg, an Yllib with a leash around his neck held by Ydnam. “There, there, Yllib.” The woman patted his nose. “We’ll get you a nice bowl of fish peas.”

“ARK. ARK.”

Ylime sniffled. “I’m gonna MISS you, Little Buddy! I’m glad you found your frogfish.”

A remorseful tear dropped from Yllib’s blank eye. “…ARK!”

“Siiiigh. I just want to be away from all these fools.” Reiniar stated. “Let’s go, dears.” He lifted Ycrad in his left arm and walked off.

“Coming, Reiny.” Akim followed him with Innus accompanying. However, the woman stopped to look back at Ynohtna, who stared enquiringly. A small smile formed on her face before she left, teleporting her family away.

With that, Ydnam and Ydnic guided Yllib home, Rora and Aliehs took Eitra and Eelyah, and Yllas and Yevrah took Ylime. “Well, ’guess I better go, too.” Ibyf sighed, beginning to fly off. “But, um… thanks for the afternoon… Ynohtna.” She spared her friend a smile before continuing the flight, using her wings.

The only ones left, Ynohtna and Ellehcim saw their mom’s car pull up beside the sidewalk. “Alright, kids, come on.”

The two climbed in the back seat before Eigna began the drive home. “So how did the fun class go?”

“Oh… it was all right. But I’m not sure if I even helped them at all… more than injure them.”

“Well, regardless of the outcome, Ynohtna, hearing you do all those things, it… reminded me why I married your father.”

“What’s that?” He looked up.

“It’s because I felt like… I needed balance in my life. I was so buried in my work to try and have fun… but Yevrah was so set on having fun, he couldn’t do any work. So I married him… to have a spark in my life. And to dim down his spark a little. Then our kids could be a mix of both… and they would turn out better than we did.” She smiled.

“Oh… You really think so, Mom?” He smiled lightly.

“Mm-hm… so Ynohtna, you need to focus on school more. And Ellehcim, you need to find some friends to play with. After almost seeing you maim yourselves, I realize the future isn’t so far off. So it’s only fair you kids make the best of your lives. And you don’t need to ride ice cubes to find a good balance. But I think you helped these people find theirs.”

“Heheh… maybe you’re right, Mom. But you gotta admit, Aliehs has one messed-up mind.”

“She sure does. Next time you host a Fun School, just rent some Yensid movies…” After a day like this, the kids couldn’t wait to get home and eat some brussel sprouts.

 

**Lesson learned, don’t attend school with Aliehs. :P And stay away from Ylime, Yllib… all those nutjobs. :P The Hanging Tree song comes from _Hunger Games_ , and spoiler, it will have importance here. Next time, more randomness. Later.**


	7. This Universe Has No Gods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akurah and Eirik meet their Positives, Haruka and Kirie. We also get some insight on the DNKG.

**Seventh chapter, let’s have a little look at our bad guys.**

****

**_

Chapter -14: This Universe Has No Gods

_**

****

**DNKG H.Q.**

“Hm hm hm, okay! Who wants to see the Tpyge Dance?” Annaira laughed, raising her brother in the air via bloodbending to make him do ‘The Robot’, earning many laughs from the alien children. “And now ballet style.” Atnort forcibly performed a series of distorted movements, as was ballet in this world. “Trapstyle!” Atnort spun around and around and around like on a torture wheel.

“Grrrrrrr STOP IT, ANNAIRA!” Atnort unleashed a storm of lightning and singed Annaira with soot, the boy landing back on his feet. “Now all of you get outta here or I’ll STOP whatever excuse for hearts you have!”

Still snickering, the aliens piled away. “What were you THINKING, Nort?!” shouted Anna. “You KNOW lightning is dangerous on waterbenders!”

“Yeah well you know BLOODbending’s dangerous for EVERYBODY, it don’t stop you from that!!”

“Hey, _I_ never kill you with my bending, but YOU’RE dangerously close to killing me, and if YOU kill me, I HOPE THAT Mom kills you!!”

“Yeah, well _I_ would rather die of a-” A bullet whizzed by his arm, silencing him.

Avakam blew the smoke from her pistol before sheathing it, approaching. “I’d be happy to kill both of you. Just like my brother.”

“Yeah, well keep dreamin’, Needlebrain.” remarked Beewv, scampering his way toward them. “‘Cause one day while yer sleepin’, I’ll climb up on that trigger and-” Avakam began shooting the floor where he stood as Beewv hopped around. “Nn- Stop it! Stop it! Hey!”

Annaira yanked him to her hand with her bloodbending. “I would like it if you don’t shoot up my future dinner. Beewv has untapped potential, and I’m waiting for it to make him spicy.” She floated him by her nose so she could sniff. “Sniiiiiff… smells cookin’ already.”

Beewv sliced her lips with a sword, making him drop by her feet. “Well, the bakery’s closed, I’m just staking in this deal for Hell knows whatever. Why did you make me GO to that world, anyway? Yeah, a couple of Earthlings turned shrimpy, if you wanted to squish ‘em, why didn’t you.”

“Because, I was _experimenting_ , as per Aluben’s orders. By entering a Minish Portal, Nosam and Aliehs switched dimensions, therefore their opposites would’ve had to be effected, because no Positive can exist on a dimensional plane without a Negative on the other plane. Aluben wanted to confirm this theorem. She already knows since her Positive is a spacebender. Which comes as a recurring annoyance with her Positive constantly changing dimensions.”

“I know, I heard that Nerehc keeps randomly shrinking on a regular basis, and some witch girl always biggifies him.” Atnort said. “But Aluben never seizes the moment. If you ask me, she’s too big of a scaredy cat to-”

“Um- hey, guys? …” They looked as Emorej, younger brother of Aluben, approached them with a nervous face.

“Speaking of which..” Avakam noted.

“I-I just, Aluben wants everyone to gather on Kri, f-for an announcement, so uh..”

Avakam joyously shot the floor by his feet, making Emorej dance around as the four giggled. The black-and-white boy flushed red before running away. “Siiigh, wonder what Her Royal Highness has now.” She said as they proceeded to the hangar.

“The toilets adapted to her creepiness, they’re not spiraling?” Beewv guessed.

“She’s announcing how they’ll sort the meat at this year’s Anti-Christmas barbeque?” Annaira followed.

“If she is, you would be aware of that.” said Atnort.

“Hopefully, she’ll kill one of us already.” concluded Beewv.

**Nega-Sector V Treehouse**

“Siiiigh… are you as bored as I am?” Akurah asked as she and Eirik sat before their dresser mirror, brushing her pigtails while Eirik did her own hair.

“NO, I’m having LOOOADS of fun. WHADDYOU THINK, Sherlock?”

“I KNOW. Too bad we didn’t get to kill Ininap earlier, we need somethin’ FUN to do.”

“Wanna break the mirror and see if that ‘seven years of good luck’ thing is true?”

“No way, this is my mirror.”

“Well, if you break it, you’ll come across a million dollars. Unless you’d like ME to break it and keep ALL the money myself.”

“Fine. But if it doesn’t work, I’m forcing you to pay me back.”

“Then the test is in motion.” Eirik climbed on the desk and smirked into the mirror. “COME AT ME, you worthless piece of—GAAH!” She threw her fist and sunk into the mirror like liquid.

“Huh? Eirik?” Akurah climbed on and stared close at the mirror, leaning forward slowly. “…AAAAH!” She fell forward and fell in.

**Posiverse; Haruka’s Room**

Haruka kicked back on her chair and read a magazine, her right leg over her left, while Kirie brushed her pigtails with a smile on her face. “Well, whaddya know. Jennifer Toad has a twin sister. I always said she looked the type.”

 _It don’t surprise me. These celebrities are always doing crazy stuff._ signed Kirie.

“Mm-hm. Do you ever wish _you_ had a twin, Kirie?”

_Well, since Mom’s always busy all the time, I’d like someone besides Joey to share my interests. But what about Mason?_

“I mean like a twin _sister_. Mason’s my twin, but he’s a _boy_ , he helps me with poisonbending, but we just don’t share any of the same interests. I wouldn’t’ve minded a nice _girl_ twin to, wanna copy my every move and enjoy the same things that I like, and play with all the time. And we could bug Mason together, heh heh.”

_That reminds me, didn’t Sheila discover her twin sister?_

“That wasn’t her twin, that was-”

The girls were shocked when two figures suddenly came rolling out of the dresser mirror to the floor before them. The figures got to their feet and shook their heads, staring with surprise at their reflections. Of course, there were no mirrors and Akurah’s wasn’t standing, and Eirik’s was holding hers’ hair, but they were reflections nonetheless. They had the very same looks, and wore the same looks of shock, eyes half wide and mouths in tiny o’s. Akurah was the first to break the silence. “Who’re YOU??”

“…!” Haruka blinked, “Oh. My. Gosh… It’s my Negative… MY TWIN!” She jumped and embraced Akurah in a hug. “Oh my wishes came TRUE! How I’ve LONGED for you, my precious double! ..” She went from lovey smile to disgusted frown at her black dress. “We’ll have to do something about the dress, though. But this is a BEAUTIFUL moment!” She hugged her tight again.

Akurah shoved her off. “Get off me. We may’ve been born at the same time, but I assume we’re nothing alike. For example, that midnight dress, purple rose, definitely ew, and that Cross should be upside-down. I bet you’re not even a poisonbender.”

“Ah _ah_.” Haruka smirked and puffed a small poison cloud. Akurah raised her brow. “I can assume you are, too?”

Akurah put her hands together and stretched them apart, pulling a poison cloud in-between. “Hm, perhaps I judged too soon. Maybe we could… exchange views on poisonbending.” Her frown and half-furrowed eyes had a sort of hinting aura.

“That would be great! Let’s go to the forest and I’ll show you what I’m all about.” She was excited to jog out of her room.

“This I’d like to see. But please, don’t move like that.” She followed her half-interestedly.

With that, Eirik was left to look at her opposite, whose mismatched eyes were in switched places. “So what now? I suppose YER one of those POLITE types.”

_Well, mostly polite in a matter of speaking, but you know how some people…_

“What? What are you doing?” Kirie signed something else. “Can you not speak? You deaf, Deafo? Well THIS is just GREAT. What’m I supposed to do with some DEAF reflection? HEEEEEY! MUTE GIRLLLL! CAN YOU HEAR MEEEEE?”

The shrill sound of her voice made Kirie’s hair stand. _…I wish I didn’t._

“Oh, so you CAN hear me. Well SPEAK UP! Whaddid a DOG take your tongue or something?”

Kirie opened her mouth to reveal her tongue.

“Ugh, you really are a hopeless girl. HEEEY.” She flicked her nasal bridge. “SAY SOMETHING.”

With a wide grin, Kirie took her opposite’s hand and merrily skipped away. “You better not be leading me to a lily garden…”

**Planet Kri; Galactic Empire Audience Chamber**

Hundreds of alien kids sat on individual platforms facing a center of three platforms. The ghostly, white-clothed Supreme Dictator, Aluben marched up a stairway to this center, her frightened brother behind her. Her face bore no emotion and wide, eerie eyes, and a majority of the aliens weren’t happy to see her. She stood still on the center platform and addressed her subjects with her toneless voice.

“Good morning, subjects. I am blind to the respective times on your individual planets, and I don’t care. For my mornings… may just as well be your mornings. First, I must address… how proud I am of each of you, for submitting to my empire and acknowledging your own futility, as separate planets. Some of you… needed some pushing… but all’s well in the end.” Her cold eyes narrowed to the Nainozama leader, Ardnusyrhc, the giantess shrinking in fear. “With 200 DNKs under the watch and rule of the DNKG, the Galactic Child Empire will thrive beyond the galaxy’s boundaries. But I feel my empire is… too small. Too small, precisely, within a certain planet. Earth…”

“B-B-But, we thought you took Earth months ago.” shuddered Ardnusyrhc.

She crouched immediately when Aluben looked at her. “No. Only the merpeople are under my rule. The Nimbi are still a problem, for one, but I will steadily have them in line. My primary concern… is the humans.”

Everyone exchanged confused, worried glances.

“Yes… it seems my great power… is just not great enough for the humans’ great leader. Nerehc EiznekCm Onu. Who has single-handedly resisted my impenetrable grasp.” She raised her right hand, fingers bent forward, and stared blankly at her palm. “So it seems I am with a dilemma.”

Silence for a few seconds as she viewed around at her subordinates. “I know what you’re all thinking… just kill Nerehc. Let a new leader take his place… and grasp _them_. The truth is… I feel I am being incredibly.. _wasteful_ in disposing of Nerehc. I am losing… a reliable source of offensive. One that has such powers to resist me… would be a shame to throw away. But I am constantly working… planning… and steadily reaching a conclusion. You see, there is something on Earth I am eager to find. A particular _tree_ , if you will. It’s called… the Tree of Ending.”

There were very quiet murmurs of conversation or confusion. “Yes… the Tree of Ending. Where the souls of the dead are said to wander… in peace. After all, with all the deaths happening in that other world, twice as many happen here. But since there is only one Underworld, they cannot possibly handle all these souls. So the ones in this one… are stored there. Until further inspection. It’s a legend… true… but a divine legend I am so fond of. It is said that that tree… will be a core part in the very end of existence.”

 _“So why are you trying to find it?”_ questioned a distant alien.

She stood silent. “… …Because I wish to harness its power. Its souls of the dead… brimming with a kind of energy… Energy that which has been abandoned by those that oversee our afterlife… Energy that is for the taking… and will help in making my empire strong.”

“And what does this have to do with Nerehc?” a gargoyle alien asked.

“…Because if Dear Nerehc can resist my hold… it is clear that he, as the Demon Prince, is the key.”

**Posiverse; Virginian Forest**

“Ahhhh, can’t you just smell that forest air?” sighed Haruka as she and her frumpy-faced Negative marched through the forest, with Haru kicking her legs high with each step. “All the photosynthesis, breathing life into the earth?”

“I thought you were a poisonbender, when did Air and Earth get into the situation?”

“Actually, air is a gas, too, but it contains so very little of the Gas Chi that it’s almost impossible for a poisonbender to bend it. I don’t know any bender that could, but then we’d be able to fly around, too!”

“Okay, you’re acting way too bubbly, get to the poisoning already.”

“Sheesh, rushy-rushy. Don’t you just wanna look at the _trees_?” smiled Haruka innocently.

Akurah perked with realization. “Oh, _I_ get it.” She smirked evilly. “You wanna look at ‘em like THIS!” She unleashed a cloud of gas and shriveled three unfortunate trees to withered, sad, squiggly sticks.

“Akiiiii! What’d you do THAT for??”

“The best kinda plant is a dead plant, them and their sticky sap.”

“Well, you _realize_ that some plants have medicinal herbs used for, uh… medicine.”

“So what?”

“So those kinds of plants can save lives! Like…Like that bird over there!” She hurried to an injured baby bird that fell from the nest of one of the trees, and was coughing from the poison. “Poor little guy… don’t you think he misses his home?” She pulled the poison away and stuck her nails in its body, transferring her healing poisons. She smiled when the bird flapped its wings and fluttered away. “See! Now he’s free and happy!”

Akurah looked over at a wandering deer, and thrusted her arms forward to blast purple gas at its face, scaring the coughing animal off. “So is he. But happiness don’t last.”

“Will you STOP doing that?!”

“Is that _all_ you use poison for? _Helping_ people? Silly animals? You have got to be the WORST type of person. Isn’t it so much more enticing to watch them _die_ … suffocate and beg for mercy as their last teeny inches of breath slowly fade away? Remind them that life is short, and it certainly, isn’t, KIND!” She thrusted a toxic cloud to a group of butterflies, dropping to the ground immediately. “It’s just so annoying to watch things flit around like nothing’s going to happen.” She stomped toward the butterflies, their wings weakly twitching. “Well, in case you didn’t know, YOUR LIFE MEANS NOTHING!” Akurah raised her foot to grind a helpless butterfly under her heel-

‘Til Haruka pushed her away. “WHAT is your DEAL?!”

“My deal is people who act so happy and carefree, they look like idiots. Let alone poisonbenders who hold the power of death in their hand but deliberately ignore it. You’re only fooling yourself if you think you’ll be able to save people with your cruddy powers. So just accept who you are and start turning this forest to ash.”

Haruka approached one of the butterflies and gently took it in her hands. “That’s what I used to think… but if fire can burn skin, can’t it also warm people from dreaded blizzards? If water can drown people, doesn’t it refresh them? If the shadows make people afraid, can’t they also shade them from a hot sunny day? So who says poison can’t fix a person’s illnesses and give them a greater chance at life?” She gently pulled the gas away to let the butterfly flutter.

“True…” Hands folded behind her, Akurah slowly walked forward. “But can they fix THIS?” She squished one of them hard beneath the heel of her shoe. “Or THIS?” Jumped and squished another. “Or THIS?”

“STOP IT!” Akurah was freely skipping about and covering her Mary-Janes with sticky butterfly intestines, Haruka panicking as she tried to pull her away.

Akurah finally conceded, “You can save all the lives you want, but everything’s going to die. A hospital patient’s been in a coma for years, and the day he gets out, some random mugger comes and shoots his pitiful dreams to pieces. So any idiot that tries to save all these lives is wasting her time—yes I mean you, deal with it—so that person should better spend her life just putting those people out of their misery.”

Haruka stomped, “Well maybe I should put you out of YOUR misery!!”

“Go ahead. End your own misery while you’re at it.”

“I was thinking more like THIS!” She threw her fist at Akurah’s face, pushing her back. Akurah punched across her face before both girls started thrusting poison puffs at each other. Akurah twirled away and launched her gas up a tree, letting it shrivel as birds fell out. Haruka hurriedly tried to remove their poisons, but Akurah was happily dancing about and throwing more gas up trees, causing many squirrels, owls, and a bear trying to score some honey to fall out.

Haruka was merely welling with tears by the time Akurah was bored. “It’s a fool’s game for anyone trying to save as many lives as they can. You’ll never be able to save everyone, and you’ll forever feel the hate from all their fallen souls because you didn’t save them first. Those same souls will also seek revenge on the people who were lucky enough to be your first pick. So do yourself a favor and don’t save anyone. Poisonbenders are only known for destruction, so just keep that tradition.” So she marched off and left Haruka sulking in depression. She stopped for a moment and said, “And DON’T call me Aki…” then continued.

The girl with the purple hair rose sat with her back against a dead tree, pulling the poison out of a bird while tears still streamed her face. “I wonder if Kirie’s having as much fun with her Negative…”

**Near Gallagher Elementary**

“Oh I cannot WAIT to see what you have planned for US today!” Eirik proclaimed with sarcasm, while Kirie wore a casual smile as she pulled a wagon of water balloons along. “WATER BALLOONS of paint, NIIICE. Oh I wonder what we’re going to _do_ with them, is it bomb the science geeks?, or perhaps PAINTING THE FREAKING SCHOOL SO IT LOOKS GOOD AS NEW. Ohhh what _nice_ volunteer work,” she put on a happy, but mocking smile, “you kids are _very_ nice girls, lemme get you a lollipop for your hard work, no that’s okay it was ALL OUR PLEASURE! Ugh, you have got to be the WORST type of person, and one of the most AGGRAVATING people I can EVER hope to KNOW! Denying ME a fucking lollipop, I’ll pop you in the fucking FACE you little shit! AUGH I cannot be-LIEVE this…” They finally stopped beside the school’s playground, where many young graders were playing. “What’re we doing, anyway?”

Kirie tossed a red balloon up and down in her sleeved hand, facing Eirik with her innocent smile and up-closed eyes. She unveiled her rows of sharp venomous teeth in a grin, and opened her furrowed, lustful eyes. Eirik could immediately read that look, mirroring it as she took her own balloon. (Cue extreme rock-n-roll music.)

The park was stormed with paint balloons as the unsuspecting children were swamped with colorful substance, screaming and running for their very lives. Eirik and Kirie charged in like little devils, making sure they didn’t miss an uncolored spot on the playground. Later, they had ketchup and mustard packs lined up beside cars, skateboarding across to squirt the toppings all over the nicely-clean cars. Afterwards, Kirie was gliding over the restaurant block with her butterfly suit while Eirik dropped a bunch of glue bombs onto them, followed by strings of toilet paper to make the eateries appear haunted and ghostly. Next, they were at a baseball stadium with piles of priceless items, in which Eirik pitched them, and Kirie smashed a painting, a porcelain doll, a glass dolphin, and a koala vase to a million pieces with her baseball bat.

Finally, they were back at the school to proceed with their painting the outside. _PARENTS SUCK BALLS_ was what everybody read as they drove past the school.

**DNKG H.Q.**

The aliens returned to the treehouse as Team Beewv looked less than enthusiastic. “So Aluben’s looking for some kind of mystic tree. Niiiice.” moaned Beewv.

“Well, she wants me to head down to Aipyks to try again at those Nimbis.” Atnort mentioned. “And she might actually join me this time. What a fun trip that’ll be, right?”

“Actually.” The four flinched when the girl in question showed up behind them. “I have tasks for each of you.”

“Do you even have eyelids?!” blurted Beewv.

“Atnort… the two of us will be flying to Aipyks once my errands are complete. Annaira… you will oversee the Nainozama in constructing a dimension-hopping device. I have given them the blueprints… you will make sure there is no slacking. Avakam… you will speak with the leader of your homeworld and have them collect as many corpses as they can on their planet, and stash them inside cargo transports. And Beewv…” Her eyes narrowed at the tiny Kateenian last, “You and the Naineetak… will conduct an expedition on Earth… in search for this Tree of Ending. I believe… the Minish, beings of nature, will have a clue as to where it is. Your kind should be able to negotiate… being of the same size. I expect you gone within an hour.” Her head shifted straight again. “Do not… betray my relatively low expectations.” On that, she walked away with her quivering brother.

“Weeeell, isn’t THAT great? Not only is she hooked on some DREAM tree, she’s forcing me to FIND it!” Beewv exclaimed. “Watta way to get rid-a me.”

“If you make it back, keep a couple of Naineetak or Minish with you.” Anna commented, munching a steak.

“So, I guess it’s a game then: seeing who survives doing which thing they hate first.” Avakam declared.

“I hope to see all of you in Hell.” Atnort nodded.

“O-KAY.” After their simultaneous nod, they left separate ways.

**Cleveland, Virginia; Hunger Burger pavilion**

“So you met your Negative and she turned out to be a royal bitch?” Leanne asked as she and Haruka feasted on salads at an outdoor table, shaded from the sun by an umbrella.

“Pretty much.” Haruka still looked glum as she half-interestedly ate.

“Well, whaddo you expect from them? You saw what Nerehc did last week. They’re _all_ messed up, I wouldn’t be surprised if their whole lifestyle was burning forests.”

“I know they’re like that. It’s just what Akurah says is true. I really _can’t_ save everyone. How do doctors know which patients should come first and which ones should be held off and, _die_? It just doesn’t seem fair, but… what can we do about it?”

“Don’t search me.” Leanne ate a tomato slice. “I didn’t know you WANTED to try and save everyone.”

“Not _everyone_ exactly, but-”

“So don’t. No one marked you as the Angel of Life, so it’s not your job to save all the lives in the universe. Just save all the lives you can, no one’s asking you to be God.”

“So if you were dying under a burning support beam, and Mason was choking on a hotdog-”

“SAVE ME!! I WANNA LIVE!”

“PHA HA HA HA ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

“Hehe, okay, you’re right.” Haruka smiled, zipping an onion ring into a cup of light-brown substance. “I shouldn’t push myself too hard. Hmm, but now that I think about it, I should find my Negative before she poisons a chilidog factory.” She ate the onion.

“Well, when you hear any cries for help, you’ll know.” Leanne zipped a French fry into some ketchup and ate. “Hey, Haruka, did you ever notice we sound alike?”

“Really?” Haruka listened for a moment. “We kind of do, but it’s just off by a little- ueck!” Haruka choked, falling off her seat.

“What’s wrong?!” Leanne ran over frantically. She watched as Haruka’s throat swelled red, then looked at the brown substance. “Haruka, that’s peanut butter, you’re ALLERGIC to peanuts!”

 _“Whaaat?”_ Haruka struggled to climb up. _“Since when do they use peanut butter, as a dipping sauce?”_

“Ugh, restaurants are always doing stupid things, we gotta get you help!”

The duo looked across the street when an explosion was heard, seeing a few villains rush out of their supermarket across the expansive parking lot. _“Something’s up. Let’s go.”_ Haruka began to limp over quickly.

“But Harukaaaa! If we don’t take you to help, you’ll-”

_“I’m a poisonbender, it takes a while. B’sides, there’s probably medicine over there.”_

**Supervillain Supermarket & Deli**

Akurah trekked the parking lot of supervillain ships and vehicles and barged into the front doors. “Wattup, Mac.” She blasted some gas that dissolved Shogun Roquefort’s mini cheese palace. “Hey, Toothface.” She forced a string of toothpaste out of Knightbrace’s tube with her bending and tied it around his body. “Yo Peestain, breathe your own filth.” She grabbed the Toiletnator’s stinkbombs in her bending and exploded them around him.

“HEEEY!” Akurah turned when an angry Father approached her. “Just what’re YOU doing here, Ruka?! This market is for VILLAINS only, and BEING villain-born, but good, does NOT make you qualified.”

“Look, relax, Sunburn, I’m not that tree-hugging sissy, I happen to make better use of gas, which is more than I can say for your Negative. You know, if he turns into an ant, I bet all you can change in to is some sniveling little hamster trying to score his next soda off some retarded Australian boy, ‘cause really, you got nothing better to eat than that.”

“THAT’S IT! _RRRRRRRAAAAA **AAAAAA-**_ **AAAHH!!”** The furious demon grew into a flaming dragon, burning with the brightest fires of Hell. A shining flame brimmed in his mouth, ready to burn the girl to a skeleton, but Akurah released a huge poison puff at his mouth, creating an explosion that blew the dragon to the check-out lines, crushing them flat, and blowing Akurah to the opposite end of the aisle.

She collided with a shelf of Shrimp Puffs, the dead meat falling onto her. “Aaaahh! I’m allergic to- uuooock.” She tried to run away, but her body was already swelling.

Haruka and Leanne were shocked to see a giant shadow dragon lying on the row of check-out lines, hurrying around the colossus and following the trail of ruin it created. They saw a pile of fallen Shrimp Puffs in the distance, and close beside it, a black-clothed figure that looked ready to pop. They hurried and turned the figure over, and only Haruka could recognize her despite her swollen face. _“Akurah?”_

_“Ooooouuuuh. Have you ever tasted… Shrimp Puffs? …They’re not good.”_

“SHRIMP PUFFS!!!” screamed Denzel Crocker, frantic to scoop them up. “IIIII want ‘em.” With that, he bounced his way to the exit like a slinky. “FAIRY GODPARENTS, FAIRY GODPARENTS, FAIRY GODPARENTS!”

 _“Quick, look for some medicine with quercetin and get it in her.”_ With mixed feelings, Leanne and some background villains ran to do so. _“And bring her some broccoli or something, that has some. I’ll help you out until then.”_

Haruka knelt down and dug her fingers into Akurah’s waist, carefully channeling her Healing Poison through her bloodstream. _“Me… shouldn’t you worry about yourself first? …”_

_“I can tough it out… but I won’t take the same chance with you. The patient comes first.”_

Mr. Boss arrived with some broccoli and slipped small pieces down Akurah’s throat, the Negative weakly chewing. _“What does it matter, anyway. You and I… have the same lifespan. If you saved me, you would choke, and we’d both die. Don’t you understand… you really can’t save everyone.”_

_“I’m not trying… to save everyone. But I know… you can learn a thing or two from me. So in our last moments of breath… you would finally understand.”_

_“Eeeeerr…. Your universe really is… full of idiots.”_

“Aaaaand one pill of quercetin for you.” Leanne slipped the pill down Akurah’s throat, followed by water, and her swelling slowly went down. “And one injection of epinephrine for you.”

“HUUUU!” Haruka gasped for air once Leanne forced the shot into her neck. “Huff, huff. Ho, thank God. I hated sounding like I had a refrigerator crushing my pelvis.”

Akurah stood and brushed herself, “Let’s get outta this sick house.” Haruka and Leanne joined as they casually left out the front gates, past the still-fallen dragon and the destroyed lines.

“Uhhhhh isn’t anyone gonna buy anything?” the Bag-Headed Cashier asked.

Father Dragon recovered and turned to face him, shaking the market each step. “Yes, I wanted to buy these macaroons and Sunseed Muffins?” He held up a tiny (to him) bag with said items.

With that, Cashier had the items scanned and handed Father the receipt. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” And so the dragon stomped out of the exit, smashing a hole in the wall and- “AAAAH!” flinging Dr. Light away with his flappy tail.

**Away from the market**

“Well, I suppose you want a thank you for saving my life.” said Akurah scornly. “But I could’ve cared less what happened.”

“Man, why are you so sour? Why is killing things your only focus?”

“I’ve grown only accustomed to seeing things die. It makes things more… peaceful. What reason do they have to live, anyway?”

“Everyone has a reason to live! Like you, for example. Not everyone can save everyone from dying… but if certain people are chosen to survive instead of others… well, I like to think God has some great big plan for them.”

“Okay ifyou’rebringingGodintothis, leave me out, ‘cause I’m no Christian.” She was quick to walk away.

“Well I’m not a DIEHARD Christian if that’s what you mean.” Akurah stopped after a few feet of walking. “I mean, I don’t go to Church. What’re you Satanic?”

“Not necessarily. But I don’t believe in God. In fact, the Negaverse has no gods.”

“What about Giratina?”

“He’s only a Guardian Spirit that watches the shadows, he wouldn’t set foot in our world until some whiny 7-year-old and his bearded dwarf came crying and begging to him. In reality, all those gods and spirits prefer to ignore our existence, just toss in elements every now and then for good will. Whether we live or die, our existence will be plain and boring.”

“Well, that’s… kinda sad. If that’s true, you oughta spend more time in our world. Well, we don’t really know how much the gods do in our… daily lives, but we have loads of fun together.”

“Look, what you kids have for, ‘sissy fun’, our style is totally opposite, therefore on NO occasion has ANY Positive with their Negative had as much fun as-”

“YEEEEEEEEEE!” The wild rock-n-roll music started up as Kirie and Eirik boosted down the street on rocket rollerblades. Clutching many markers, they drew a series of lines along the sides of many cars they passed, and were on the way to miscolor many stoplights.

The blares of police sirens echoed across the city. “Weeee should probly help them.” Haruka said before the three began to chase.

**Juvy; a few hours later**

Both girls were quietly escorted from the building by Kirie’s mother, Kuki Beatles, who appeared as gray and humorless as any Negative. “Look, Kirie, I’m not gonna begin to question how you managed to clone yourself, or why you two went on some crime spree, because this took a huge amount of time out of my work. I’ll trust your friends to walk you home, but don’t bother me with this again, n’kay?” So with nothing else, she walked away.

“MAN. That lady’s glummier than Akim. Is that your MOM or somethin’?, man I feel sorry for you.” Eirik proclaimed.

_Um… to tell the truth, Eirik… the main reason I did all these things with you was for my mom’s attention. She’s always busy and working, and she never pays attention to me. I thought getting myself in trouble with some mean girl would make her spend more time with me. But I really had a lot of fun with you, Eirik, and hanging out with you, I think we found a bond I could’ve had with my mom. Even though we’re from two different worlds, I feel like I actually found someone to call my twin sister. And the two of us, well, we can have so much fun together, and bond closer than Brayden Rainbow Monkey and Eden Rainbow Monkey. Because, well… we understand each other… that well._

She held Eirik’s hand and looked at her with warm, loving eyes. “Uck, I can’t understand a word you’re not saying!” She pulled away. “Look, just stick with the rocket shoes and graffitiing cars, you and me are all right.”

She grinned wide and held two thumbs up.

“Maybe it’s time for you two to get back to your world.” Haruka suggested.

“Finally. I can’t stand all these plant smells any longer.” Akurah agreed.

They found a fountain outside the building as Akurah splashed in first. Kirie and Eirik exchanged simultaneous nods before the latter jumped in. “Well, there goes our twins.” Haruka sighed as she and Kirie began the walk home. “But who needs ‘em, right? We got two annoying little brothers.”

_I think me and Eirik left Joey glued to the Big Boy statue._

“Ha ha, yeah…”

**DNKG H.Q.**

Everyone in DNKG had orders, and everyone was carrying out. The staring, looming face of their Supreme Dictator appeared on every big screen in the fortress. _“Good time-of-day, my loyal subjects. This is Numbuh Nothing, your beloved dictator, for a daily announcement.”_ It felt like her echoing, eerie voice was directly in their ears. _“We have conquered a great number of planets in the span of 2 years, going 3… and you have all submitted so dutifully. It’s important to remind you… why our cause is just… is needed. As you know, this universe… is one without gods. Without those to protect us. Leaving us to wallow around in our own sadness. That is why, it is upon us to carry out that duty. We must become the gods that this universe lacks… we must be the ones to give everyone order. Unite all species… all worlds… into one supreme superpower. While those above us may bask in the warmth the gods provide them… we are becoming strong. We are becoming whole. We are…_ ascending _…”_

 

**Speaketh her… the Goddess. And speaketh I, who’s glad to get another chapter done. I actually like this one, too. But it’s hard to think of what plots I’ll make when. Anyway, I’ve been pretty preoccupied with _Smash Bros._ , and trying to write _Lights_. So… I’ll see you later.**


	8. Secret Keeper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ydolem and her brother, Ynnad are trusted secret-keepers of the DNK. But when Ydolem learns a mysterious secret that shocks even her, people are desperate to make her spill it.

**We’re gonna show you why, there’s more than meets the eye, the b-b-briiiight side of the dark side. Oh ya think you oughta, no you really oughta, the b-b-briiight side of the dark side. –Ruby Gloom**

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Chapter -13: Secret Keeper

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**Sol Selegna**

Sol Selegna. A beachside town, though a very dirty beach. The sky was dark here like everywhere else, and the sea was polluted. A metallic DNK treehouse was perched atop an ordinary house, so it was easy to find. A suspicious-looking boy peeked out from behind a fence and rushed his way to the treehouse, moving swift and quiet, hoping nobody would catch him. It appeared the coast was clear, and he was able to make it behind the house, where three other kids were already in line.

 _“I took Yllas’s wallet and never gave it back.”_ whispered a girl into a green bag as yellow magic energy flowed into it from her mouth. She quickly ran away as someone in the window sealed the bag, then put a new one in its place.

 _“I still soil myself.”_ whispered a boy, then making his escape.

 _“I… er… do things in bed I-…”_ The next boy stuck his head into the bag and said something no one could definitely hear, safely sealing it.

Finally was the boy who just came. “I, er… I, errr… _I saw Naitsirhc kill her friend’s dog!!”_ And the secret went inside.

Seeing no more customers outside, the bags were taken by an invisible force back up to the treehouse. Once there, Ynnad Noskcaj threw off his Invisible Cloak, throwing the four bags near a pile of empty ones. Then, slowly slithering up to them was a shadow as misshapen as a lava lamp, and Ydolem Noskcaj emerged from it, a girl with raven-black hair, black T-shirt, ghostly white pants, black shoes, and white eyes with black outline. Her shadow flew to the four new bags, carefully pulled them open, and let the magic flow into her mouth, then swallowed. “Is that all?” asked Ydolem quietly, petting her shadow, Hsa’s head.

“Yeah.” replied Ynnad.

“Good.” And that was all there was to it. Nothing more had to be said. Because their duty was done. Okay, you guys prob’ly don’t know, so I’ll explain. They were Sector -L, the most silent, secret-keeping crew known to nega-kidkind. Kids everywhere with embarrassing or shameful secrets come to them to let the secret out of their lungs, to a safe, secure home. Using Ynnad’s magic Secret Sacks, he contains the secrets, then feeds them to Ydolem’s shadow, Hsa, so only she and her master will know them. Only the secret-owner could tell the secret, otherwise anyone else who tried to speak it or write it would only utter silence. And as for Ydolem herself, she was the one girl in the whole world they could trust. She was always hiding, so no one could get their hands on her secret container, and she would never speak a word.

“ _Sapphire Happy_ is on.” Ydolem said. “Let’s go watch.” So she and Ynnad went to sit on the couch and turn on the TV. _Sapphire Happy_ was a show about a blue-haired angel girl who, despite the name, was always really depressed, and spoke loudly. But Ydolem was fascinated with its lively aura for some reason.

“RRRRRAAAAAAH!” Sort of like this guy: Cire Ztivroh, a handsome muscular boy who also had a secret Ydolem was keeping, and was still kind of insecure about it. The only reason he was in her sector was because he didn’t trust Ydolem one bit. After kicking open the door, he stomped inside furiously. “So Ydolem, you finally CRACK, yet?!”

“Of course not, Cire.” smiled Ydol. “You know I would never tell anyone.”

“You gonna BLOW IT sometime, and I’M gonna be there WHEN IT HAPPENS! !”

 _“Keh…keh…”_ Hsa coughed.

“You really must not be so diffident.” Ydolem indicated her coughing shadow. “Your secret might just release itself if you’re so unbalanced.”

“Yeah-heah, THAT’S the reason it’s gonna happen,” Cire proclaimed with sarcasm, “use my OWN words against me, make it seem like **I** got the problem, WELL I DON’T, SO YOU BETTER SHUT IT!!”

“Of course you don’t, Cire.” Ydolem said with a trustful voice. “It’s _your_ secret. You’ll tell everyone when you’re ready to. And I’m sure they’ll like you just the same.”

But Cire wasn’t entirely convinced. The blood-boiling rage was visible on his face. _Knock-knock-knock-knock._

“Oh? Is that one more customer? Could you please get that, Ynnad?” Her brother complied and walked downstairs in his Invisible Cloak, only his head visible as he opened the hatch.

 _“Is this Sector -L Secret-Keepers?”_ asked the hooded girl in a low voice.

“Say nothing if you don’t. Secret, please.” Ynnad held a sack open.

_“No. I wish mine to go to Ydolem directly.”_

Ynnad took his sack back and returned upstairs. “Ydolem, she… wants you.”

“Oh, a secret STRAIGHT to the BOSS!” Cire proclaimed as Ydolem left downstairs. “Hope your HEAD DON’T EXPLODE!”

“Hi there.” Ydolem greeted the girl once downstairs. “You had something for me?”

_“Yes… a secret. One that I don’t trust the sacks to hide.”_

“Your secret will be at risk of being spoken then. But if it’s your wish.”

So she leaned her head forward, the hooded girl touching her mouth with Ydol’s ear. _“.. . . .. . . ..”_

“Oh!” Her eyes perked. “That’s, um… very interesting. …Well, okay. I won’t tell-” But the customer was already gone. The neighborhood was totally empty and quiet, so with no more business, she shut the hatch.

As Ydolem returned upstairs and passed the living room, “Oh-ho, so the SECRET’S IN, huh?” Cire was quick to proclaim. “And WHAT IS IT, pray tell?”

“Nothing, really.” was the last Ydolem said before going to her room.

She closed the door, plopped down on her bed, and went to sleep for the night. She hoped the sleep would clear her head of what she just heard. It couldn’t have been THAT big a deal… right?…

**The next day; Retnek Elementary**

The next day at school was pretty ordinary like it always was. Ydolem and Ynnad spent the whole day without talking to a soul. Ynnad spent most of the day under his Invisible Cloak, and Ydolem crept within the shadows. Even at recess, when children set to work on the prune juice mine, they lay hidden. ’Cause THEY don’t wanna do all that work! But the secret Ydolem was entrusted with was definitely a curious one. How could anyone possibly know that? And which of these kids was the one who knew?

“It’s probably best you don’t hold it for me, Hsa…” Ydolem petted her shadow gently. “You do so much for me… I should take this one. Hmmm… but I wonder how many else she planned to tell. …?”

She saw a gang of kids marching over to her from the workcamp. They were in fact, the school’s nerds, and in the Negaverse, nerds are bullies and bullies are car salesmen. Nah just kidding, they’re nerds. They had purple juice stains and their bods were strong as ever from their day of work. Ydolem got to her feet, masking her nervousness. “Hello. What may I do for you?”

“Word ’round the school is YOU got a hot new secret!” a nerd grinned maliciously.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh yeah, then how come I was just able to detect your LIE?!” a nerd girl with bare feet proclaimed. “A few of us are earthbenders, and we’ve been feelin’ yer heart racin’ ALL DAY.”

“If my heart weren’t racing, I would die.”

“Don’t matter, ’long as we’ve felt you, your heart never beats faster than 15.5 thumps-per-minute, which means YOU got somethin’ on your mind you’re dying to tell, and WE wanna hear it FIRST.” proclaimed an earthbender boy.

“If the secret doesn’t belong to you, it’s not yours to hear. I’ll respect the person’s privacy as long as they wish. That is no secret.”

“Well, you know what also ain’t a secret? Ytram’s a psychicbender. And he knows how to probe a mind for information, so he’ll dig that secret RIGHT outta you. Have to rifle a few others on the way, but THAT’S the kicks.” He stepped aside when a slimmer nerd stepped over.

“My business is closed now. You will have to see our Human Resources for any non-complaints.” She sunk into her shadow.

“The HELL you will!” The earthbenders stomped the ground and forced out several rock-jabs, but Ydolem slithered away to evade. After emerging around a wall, she attempted to run, but the psychic kid managed to grab and pull her over. “’Soon as your secrets’re out, you going outta business. Let ’er have it, Ytram—” In a sudden puff of smoke, all of the bullies turned into chickens.

Ynnad pulled off the head of his cloak. “I guess the secret’s already out.”

“It would appear so.” Ydol helped herself up. “I wonder how many else know.”

“What kind of secret were you given, anyway?”

“I…I shouldn’t say. The person must have trusted me for a reason. But not using a Secret Sack…”

“Recess is almost over. Can we last the rest of the day without being harassed?”

“No… why don’t we leave. We’ll get extra credit for following our hearts and disobeying school rules.” So Ydolem Veiled and slithered over the fence while Ynnad wore his cloak to find his own exit. Since this school supports students following their own instincts, they would be applauded for ditching.

**DNK Moonbase**

Moonbase was, to put it simply, a total mess, horribly disorganized. Well it was supposed to be, but a lot of the kids managed to maintain good manners and didn’t make too much a mess of things, though the guards were less than reliable. And Supreme Leader, Nerehc Onu, was in his office with his piles of paperwork. Relaxed on his seat with his feet on his desk, folding each paper into a plane and tossing it mindlessly. A pile of planes took up the space before the office door. The papers were scattered when Sicnarf Yksvolird barged in. “Sir, I have a report.”

“What up, Sic?” He chucked a plane at Sicnarf’s right eye.

Annoyed, Sic continued, “Well, we have intel that the DNKG is attempting to persuade the Nimbi over to their ranks. Since the mermen are already under their control, it’d be kind of negative on our end, Sir.”

“Well, isn’t that a good thing?”

“Of COURSE it isn’t! If the seas and skies are DNKG territory, that means less territory on Earth for US! And Arceus knows the Minish will be kissing their shoes before getting stomped, it’s time that we make some arrangements.”

“You’re right.” Nerehc sat up straight, his aura having switched to Leader Mode. “Build more factories and smog the skies ‘til those Nimbis drop, and burn all the forests ’til every last Minish is dead.”

“That’s _not_ what I had in mind.” He pinched his nasal bridge. “If we’re sharing one planet with those guys, then we can’t just keep fighting them. Before Aluben does, we have to persuade the Nimbi over to our side, the Minish too if we can.”

“Why bother, they’re never gonna listen.” Nerehc kicked back again. “Aluben’s got a million armies, whaddoes _Earth_ got? I’d pick the winning side too, if I were them.”

“Aluben’s mission is to unite all races into one power. From a certain viewpoint, her mission is a just one, but she’s doing it entirely the wrong way: for her benefit. The DNKs will never be at peace, that’s why you have to make the Nimbi understand. That if our armies continue to fight, it’ll get us nowhere, so we need to put our differences aside and understand that all we want is what’s good for our kidkind. And I know you think we should, too.”

“…” Nerehc leaned there half-scowling for five seconds. “Well, even if I do, THEY won’t think so. Even THEY know this world is godless, kids everywhere will live in misery the rest of their lives no matter what we do.”

“If nothing is going to change anyway, it doesn’t mean we can’t make it a little less painful.”

“… .. All right.” Nerehc got up and walked around his desk. “I’ll talk to the Nimbi… after Halloween.” He passed a witty smirk to Sicnarf as he left. “Going as a beetle. Just ’cause Sipa dared me. Knows I’m scared of them. Seeya, Sic!” He skied away with rocket shoes.

“Siiiigh… Well, at least he’s trying harder than Sucram.” Sicnarf sighed.

**Sol Selegna**

Having ditched school, Ydolem and Ynnad decided to hit the town for boring stuff to do. They had nothing to do at home and wouldn’t have customers ’til after school, so what to do… “Maybe you can become an Animagus.” Ydol told her brother. “Becoming a rat or bat might be easier than carrying your cloak everywhere. I wouldn’t tell anyone.”

“Ehh… too much work.”

“I wonder if the Break-a-Bear Workshop has any Sapphire Happy dolls that haven’t been ruined, yet. Let’s go visit.”

They headed to Sol Selegna Mall, where teenage girls absolutely hated to visit, unfortunately their parents insisted on taking them, and it was the worst place to hang out with friends. Even school-ditchers hoped they would be caught and taken back to school. Of course, the guards didn’t care. A slightly quiet, though vibrant jingle rang throughout the dark, empty store, and getting to the Break-a-Bear Workshop was without hassle. Scrapped, discarded bits of toys lay everywhere, except the toys on the shelves that were awaiting destruction.

“It’s sad that so many toys have to be broken for children’s amusement.” Ydolem frowned, collecting a few pieces. “Oh well. Maybe I can make something out of these.”

So, the next 10 minutes were spent finding the right scattered pieces to form her ideal Sapphire Happy. A lovely angel with a white dress and white wings, pale-peach skin, leggings of blue and cyan stripes, into white Mary-Janes with red hearts, and of course that beautiful blue hair where her name originates. Certainly not her face, which was not at all happy, very sad eyes with a sewed-in waterfall of tears. Ydol reckoned she was sad because her wings were unnaturally white, while the normal Nimbi had black wings. The creation still looked beautiful in Ydolem’s hands.

“There… that was fun.” She spoke softly. “Making my own doll. Why doesn’t this shop have that? Why can’t we just… _destroy_ our old toys and make something new out of the scraps? Yes… that seems like a marvelous idea.” She stood up to ease the soreness in her knees, having been seated on them all this time. “Maybe I should talk to Nerehc, and we can make something like that. I’ll go talk to him now. Ynnad, ready-…”

Her brother seemed to have vanished. “Ynnad? Are you invisible?” She used Shadow Sense in attempt to see him. Nothing. “Hmmm… maybe he’s in the Magic Store after all. Come, Sapphire Doll.” She took her toy out of the store and trekked down the second-floor walkway, her footsteps against the marble floor echoing throughout the vacant store.

She saw a few kids walk out of the arcade and toward her, so Ydolem would casually walk between them, nothing more said. “So, what’s the secret.”

Her heart skipped a beat when the nerds aimed to grab her, but she Shadow Glided over the railing and landed on the parallel walkway. Some nerds ran across the nearby bridge to catch her, while some leapt over using airbending, Ydolem rushing down the walkway. The waterbending nerds grabbed water from a fountain below, chucking a huge wave at Ydolem, who jumped onto the railing before the wave froze, then dropped onto the soft roof of a stand and to the first floor. The nerds jumped down after as Ydolem sunk in a Veil, going under the bars of a dark closed store, but a waterbender used Water Arms to yank the bars open as they moved inside, searching intently for the Keeper in the darkness.

Ydolem’s shadow was already sneaking behind them, out of the store as she reemerged and began another sprint. “Hey!” Hearing her footsteps, the nerds bolted after her, hurriedly throwing their powers as she was headed for the exit. But she slammed against a particular door that was sealed, and couldn’t regain her mentality quick enough to perform a Veil and go underneath, for the nerds were seconds from catching her. But at that second, a puff of smoke turned them all into rats, scampering frantically all around her feet as she tried to stay still and keep from stepping on them.

Ynnad unhooded his cloak. “Sorry about that. I was looking at new cloaks when I saw them chasing you.”

“It’s all right. Maybe we should head home.” So with that, the siblings headed out of a door that was actually opened, letting the many rats scamper free. “In the Negaverse, more nerds have bending, and they’re bullies.” She configured. “But shouldn’t you change them back?”

“It’s a temporary spell, it’ll wear off. Doing it a little more than I expected to.”

“I just don’t understand how so many of them know I know something. I’ve only known it since last night… was this person running from them, too? And she told me to make them direct attention at me?”

“Well, they would still try to catch her anyway, I’m sure.”

“Wait… You don’t think _Cire_ has anything to do with this?”

“What? Why?”

“Why else would those guys at school decide to be on me to begin with, and back at the store… I recognized a few of them as operatives. Cire’s friends, no less… is he trying to make me _crack_ or something?”

“Well, he is a little… violent. Whaddyou think?”

“…I think I should talk to him. School should be clearing out, let’s meet him there.”

**DNK Moonbase**

Things were still calm on Moonbase as Ininap manned her post at the Global Tactical Station. ’Cause it’s wise for a leader’s servant to take their incoming calls, so it was a great post for her. ’Course, she always stood there shaking, wondering when the TV would boom to life, and always make her heart jump. “Numbuh -860—”

“YEEEEEEK!” Her hair stood on end when Hcaz snuck up from behind.

“You’re worse than my sister. Look, I looked over a security camera recording from the last gathering, I noticed one of the audience had the ‘DNKG’ marking on their arm. I think we might have a spy. I’m doing a thorough scan, so if I could see your arm.”

“O-Okay.” Ininap shudderingly held her arms out as Hcaz rolled up the sleeves and viewed them.

“Hmm… didn’t think it was you, this person had a bulkier arm. Next time you see Nerehc, give him this, it’s the photo.” He gave Inap a paper with a gray photo. “Gonna scan the mess hall now. ’Lot of chubbos there. See you.” He waved good-bye.

Ininap checked the photo and indeed saw a very faint ‘DNKG’ on a dark, bulkier arm.

**Retnek Elementary**

School was clearing out as students were rushing to the school buses. Cire was a little slow to joining them, for he couldn’t help but wonder where Ydolem had disappeared to all day. “Cire!” His question would be answered when he saw them both running over from his left. “Cire, how…how’s your day been?”

“Just fine, thanks. How’ve YOU been, sneakin’ out and tellin’ EVERYONE my secret when I ain’t there to catch you?”

“For your information,” Ydolem kept her quiet tone as she spoke aggravatingly, “I was harassed twice today because of the secret I was told last night, and-”

“AND you cracked, GREAT.”

She shook her head, “I’m starting to think YOU’RE the one who got them on me.”

“Oh-hohohoho right,” he dropped his backpack, “BLAME the guy you’re holdin’ captive, yeah REAL logical.”

“What do you mean _holding you captive_? I told you, I’m not going to tell anyone-”

“Yeah but you’re already accusing ME of sickin’ some NERDS on you!”

“In my defense, I have the right evidence, and you’ve been acting more hardheaded than normal.” Their squabble was attracting viewers.

“Only ’cause YOU keep waggin’ my PRIVACY in my FACE!”

“Okay—that’s worded a little awkwardly-”

“OKAY, THAT’S IT!” Cire finally snapped. “YOU SHUTTIN’ UP FOR GOOD!” His fist came flying across Ydolem’s face.

Some blood flew out of her mouth, and after absorbing the fact her teammate just punched her, she Veiled and dodged a following punch, appearing behind to punch Cire down with Hsa’s fist. He got back up and lunged at Ydolem again, grabbing and throwing her several feet as she sunk in a Veil, slid to him, and pulled him underneath to lay quick punches against his face. They both came up and both threw punches, while Hsa flew behind to punch Cire’s back. Cire bumped the shadow with his elbow before swinging a kick at Ydolem, who spun around him before a Shadow Punch came around and hit the right of Cire’s head.

He threw another punch at Ydolem, who ducked and blew Shadow Breath into his face, then had Hsa tie his shoelaces together so the boy tripped. Furious, he threw an arm forward to grab Ydolem’s leg and pull her down, throwing a round of punches at her chest. Hsa grabbed him from behind and struggled to pull him off, Ydolem escaping and getting up as Hsa returned to join her. Cire decided to pull off his tied shoes and chuck them at Ydol, the laces successfully wrapping around her neck, and as she choked, Cire dashed and punched her painfully in the nose, Ydolem stumbling backward and into her brother, both of them falling down.

Cire grabbed Ydolem tight around the neck and raised her upward, the rage clear in his face as ever. “I’m tired of your happy, smiley, hushie-hushie attitude, I AIN’T buyin’ it, and I’m NOT lettin’ you blow the secret that I’m gay—” He froze.

Their audience was still watching them. The sudden cease in action took them by surprise. And Cire had no idea what move to make now. “…Uuuuuhh.”

“THAT’S why you’re bein’ such a dick?” a boy remarked. “Dude, nobody cares.”

“Yeah man, being gay’s all the rage here. It’d be weird if you WEREN’T.”

“…Oh.” He dropped Ydolem. All that anger wasted for nothing.

 _“Mmp-mmp-mmp… BWAUK.”_ Hsa hacked out a cloud of yellow magic. The secret was out.

“Weeeell… this is pretty awkward.” Cire said.

“I won’t tell anyone.” Ydolem smiled.

“Sigh, what a crazy story this will make.” Ynnad said as he got up, brushing off his wrinkled cloak. “Wonder how many others have dumb secrets.”

“…” Ydolem glanced at his exposed left arm, the sleeve having been rolled up when they fell. “Ynnad, what’s that tattoo?”

“…” Ynnad looked at it with slight panic. “Oh, that, uh..”

Ydolem raced closer and examined it better. “‘DNKG’?…”

“…” Now, Ynnad had no next move.

“Oh my god, YOU’RE ONE OF-” Cire pointed accusingly.

“Indefino Duro!” Ynnad flicked his wand, and in a split second, Cire stood frozen with a finger aimed as solid stone.

“CIRE!” Ydol cried.

“Nobody move!” Ynnad proclaimed when the students attempted to retreat. “This coulda gone so much more smoothly… if you just told me your secret.”

“ _You_ …You had those nerds attack me?” Ydolem asked with hurt in her voice. “Are THEY with them, TOO?”

“They _were_ , but I planned to keep appearances with you a little longer, so I had to save you from them. So, why don’t you tell me what our late-night customer told you and everyone can go home safely?”

“But why…why would _you_ care?”

“The fact that they wanted to speak to you directly, must mean they know who I am. Which means you have information highly vital to the DNKG. So, if you don’t mind…” He held his wand ready.

“Why would you _work_ for them, anyway?”

“Our organization is doomed, and Nerehc is doing nothing to improve it. He’s a failure of a leader, and everyone is following his example. Aluben is the only one we can follow, she’s the only one who will lead us to victory. If you cared at all about your fellow operatives, you’d fork over what you know.”

“But… Ynnad… I trusted you… I…I thought you were my brother.”

“I _am_ your brother. That’s why I’m asking you to join. We, the greatest secret-keeping team, Nerehc will never suspect us. …Or are you _against_ me?”

“If that’s really how you feel, then… I am NOT betraying Nerehc!” The passion was clear in her eyes and voice. “He’s the one who gave us our post, ever since he trusted us with his _own_ secret. He put his deepest trust in us himself, and I…I will NEVER betray anyone’s trust!”

“Then I hope you’ll see where your trust leads you. CRUCIO!”

“AAAAAHHHH!” Ydolem fell and wriggled on the ground with unimaginable pain.

“Now tell me the _secret_.”

“N-N N. . . No! AAAAAHHH!” Ynnad focused more energy.

“If you insist on defending him, I’ll _force_ you to come to Aluben’s side. Say good-bye to your free will. Imperi-” He lost concentration when a book hit him in the head. “Who threw that?!”

Many kids’ glares were fixed on Ynnad, all holding books, rocks, and uneaten lunch. Ynnad recognized them all: every one of Sector -L’s customers. They all put their trust in him and Ydolem… but it’s clear he was the wrong choice. Ydolem was the only one they could trust, Ynnad was a traitor. Ydolem was their friend… and they wouldn’t let anyone attack their friend.

The array of objects came flying at him like he were an overweight principal that abused her children. The amount of objects they managed to bring was uncanny, and far too many to raise his wand against. “DAH, I don’t need to put up with this! Kiss up to Nerehc all you want, Sis, but it won’t do you good in the end! YOU’LL ALL SEE!” He whipped out a tiny bottle of red potion and smashed it to the ground. In a blinding puff of red smoke, Ynnad was gone.

A girl came over to help Ydolem stand. “You okay?”

“I’m… fine.” Ydol looked at Cire’s stone statue. “Poor Cire. I better bring him to DNK Moonbase. I hope they’ll be able to save him. Thank you for protecting me, guys.”

“Yeah, well… we kinda owed it to you.” A boy from yesterday smiled. “And if Ynnad shows up again, we’ll give him the old Western Witch!”

“Hmhmhm!” she smiled. “Thanks. Still… I wonder how many other spies Aluben has hidden among us. I need to tell Nerehc soon. …But first…”

**Sector -L Treehouse**

Ydolem invited Nollid Kroy over, and after confirming the latter had no ‘DNKG’ mark, he touched his wand to Ydol’s head and pulled a string of silver light from her mind, and placed it into a jar. “Thanks, Nollid. That secret was nothing but trouble. But at least it exposed Ynnad for what he was…”

“Yeah, well… I had a feeling this business would flop someway. Figured you’d need me when it happened. But are you sure you shouldn’t tell Nerehc about… _this_?”

“I still haven’t figured out who told it to me in the first place. Until then… maybe I shouldn’t say anything about it.”

“Well then… I won’t tell anyone.”

“Thanks, Nollid. You’re still the only other one I can trust.” :)

“Heheh…” Nollid blushed. “Say, that’s a nice doll you have. You like the show?”

“Yes.”

“It’s on now, we could… watch it.”

“That would be great.”

Ydolem first brought the jar of silver to her closet, moved some stuff away, and opened a small compartment in the left corner. She taped a sticky note on the glass, wrote _Location of the Octogan_ in purple pen, and sealed the jar away.

 

**Ahh, don’t you miss these rushed _Negaverse_ stories compared to _Seven Lights_ ’ crap? Also, guess who just got obsessed with _Harry Potter_ again. Little bit of trivia, the characters in this story are actually speaking _backwards_ of their respective language, ’cause that’s how it is in the Negaverse, obviously it’s not written in the actual dialogue because Lord knows YOU don’t wanna translate. =P But they also know frontwards talk ’cause, as the opposites, they can understand both languages while Positives only know one. :P Soooo yeah. Next time, a little _SCARY_ throwback. Later.**


	9. One Kcajed-up Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kjac Nretnal’O casts the Curse of Monsters on Negative Earth, and it's up to Nollid Kroy to stop him because he is the only one who is concerned! And he convinces Sector ZR to help him.

**I wanna blow through this story ASANow, but I can’t. X( Eh, put more energy in the important chapters.**

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Chapter -12: One Kcajed-up Halloween

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**Dnalevelc, Ainigriv**

Once upon a time, there lived a man named Kcaj Nretnal’O, who lived in Startsville, whose goal in life was to help people with his magical abilities. Everywhere he went, he examined those around him and cast a special charm on anyone who’d look like they needed it. Everyone in Startsville was happy… in his opinion. Actually, his spells were horribly inconvenient and ruined almost everyone’s lives. He planted a curse that prevented a married couple from leaving each other, aged a 7-year-old 30 years so he could get onto a ride he was too short for, and turned a girl into a flower when he wondered dreamily what it would be like to be one. Kcaj caused so much chaos throughout the town, the President of Startsville had him beheaded on -31 Rebotco.

They figured he was trying to copy from the legendary Anti-Fairy, Adnicul Nizlat, who lived on Planet Ralava and granted the most wonderful gifts to all her citizens, and everyone loved her. An Elfin named Lepmur became her apprentice sometime before her death 20 years ago, and while he mimicked her gift-giving talents to excellent respectability, Kcaj did not. He was a pain to deal with every Halloween, and they couldn’t imagine anyone like him.

Yet by some divine prank, Kcaj’s body had survived, and using a spell, he carved a face into a pumpkin, placed it on his body, and let it serve as his new head. It was on the same day as the time when Nightmares and demons were at their strongest, and people honored them. Kcaj took that as a sign from those above him, that on every Halloween, he may roam the streets in his immortal body and grant the gifts he’s always given. His mission was a just one.

Now Halloween was a far more celebrated holiday than Christmas, since Negative Land had no gods and were treated as monsters, they felt it fun to actually dress as and honor their fellow demons, or whatever the heck they felt like dressing up as. But this Halloween, Kcaj was planning another return, and has found a rather curious book in the ruins of some mountain in West Ainigriv: a Book of Shadows, which had written some very ancient, powerful spells, and Kcaj could feel the magical energy resonating from it. One spell was called the ‘Curse of Monsters,’ invented by Nightmare King Darkrai I himself. And with this spell, he knew the perfect gift to give the celebrators of Halloween this year.

Down in the suburbs, Nerehc and Ininap were walking the streets as a beetle and mouse, and kids in costumes all around were going to houses and delivering candies, ’cause that’s what Halloween was about. “I must admit, I-I’m a wee bit, surprised you, dressed as a beetle, Sir.” Ininap stuttered. “Yer usually, uh, scared of ’em.”

“Yeah, Sipa plans to ask me if I wet my pants while I’m in it, and if I didn’t, ’said she’d turn me into a beetle for real.”

“W-Will she be meetin’ with us, today?”

“Nah, she usually spends Halloween performing rituals, the evil energy’s at its strongest this time of year, she never likes to waste it ’Says she’s inching closer and closer to eternal damnation.”

“Well I-I hope she gets there soon, ’cause um… you know, that’s her religion then.”

They passed plenty of their other friends who were wearing costumes, too. Lorac sewed together a costume of Robin Hood—not his good-for-nothing Negaverse counterpart, the Positive Lorac suspected him to be, and a man to really admire. Nosam dressed as Aivuj from a show called _Fairy Tail_ , because he deemed her extremely similar to his _lovely_ Lorac (yes, it’s the Edolas Juvia :P). Nollid dressed as Yrrah Rettop, because he despised his father… and a bunch of other miscellaneous costumes regarding opposite concepts that’d take forever to name, just come see ’em on the wiki.

But little did they know the evil that was climbing onto Dnalevelc’s highest tower. He had the book, he had his wand, and the sun was nowhere in sight in this dark, cloudy sky. The spell requires that the sun can’t be present during spelltime, so he wondered if that qualified for cloudy skies. He would soon find out.

_Spirit of Darkrai, ghost of Dragmire_

_Make them the creations they so desire_

_Let the daytime suns never rise again_

_Let Halloween night be UNTIL world’s end!_

His wish would come true as he unleashed his powerful beam of magic into the sky. The monsters they honored and worship, they would surely have the highest honor when they became those monsters themselves. And Kcaj would be thanked for bringing this gift upon them. The sky turned a ghastly green as the magic flew all over the world. Little green particles rained everywhere, and every person wearing a costume began to glow green. …You probably know what happens next.

**Dnalezor, Ainigriv; Sector ZR Treehouse**

The streets were suddenly filled with zombies trying to give people brains, werewolves trying to bite others and rid them of their own curse, and God forbid if there aren’t any vampires trying to donate blood to the nearest hospital. Yes, it should be total mayhem, yet it wasn’t, but the very sight of it looked weird and had to be stopped. Not that one particular famed DNK sector had anything to do with it.

“So uh, everyone in town turned into monsters.” Eel Nosyarg said, lying on the couch.

“Whaddya know.” Ennael replied with no interest.

“I’ve seen better things happen.” Ulul followed, steaming vegetables over in the kitchen. “This’ll just blow over, too.”

“Probably.” Ynned agreed.

To put it simply, this sector didn’t care for Halloween or its traditions. They didn’t like candy themselves, much preferred vegetables, so they wouldn’t waste time giving it to people, either. Sector ZR also happened to be a talented and rather renowned sector, the only problem was they were so lazy most of the time, so even though they could easily complete a mission, it was only if they felt like it.

Their serene laziness was disturbed when someone knocked at their window. So, Eel had to take time out of his day to go and answer it. Yrrah Rettop appeared to be floating on a broomstick just outside. “Huh, didn’t know Jedi flew on brooms.”

“I’m NOT a Jedi!” replied Nollid with aggravation.

“Then why did you dress as one for Halloween?” Ennael asked.

“Irony.” It should be noted Yrrah Rettop was a famous psychicbender, and starred in such films like _Yrrah Rettop and the Phantom Friend_ , _Yrrah Rettop and the Good-tidings of the Sith_ , and also _Yrrah Rettop and the Slumping Empire_. …His films didn’t sell as well as that series about a magic boy, _Ekul Reklawyks_ , who goes to a planet of wizards. To put it simply, fantasy is better than sci-fi in any universe. “Anyway, did you see the mess that’s going on out there?”

“Yeah, so what?”

“So we have to stop it, and I saw who was causing it, too: Kcaj Nretnal’O. I saw him on my flight here.”

“That guy from that old Startsville story?” Ennael asked.

“Exactly. And since the pilots at my treehouse are, eh, incapacitated at the moment, you’re the closest sector I know that can fly us to Ralava so we can speak to Lepmur Nikstlits.”

“Okay, Z) why do you care, Y) why do WE care, and X) why will Lemur Nikslits care?” questioned Eel.

“Because W) my crappy world’s crappy enough without crappy legal Mexican princesses roaming the streets, V) you’re the only dumbheads I can rely on, and U) Lepmur was Adnicul Nizlat’s apprentice, she usually fixed his problems, but now that she’s gone, we have to rely on HIM now. And if you do this thing, I promise I’ll convince Nerehc to give you two months free of missions, how’s that?”

“SIIIIIIGH.” They soooo did not want to.

“Well, you know that Planet Ralava is all the way in Aixalag, right?” Ennael asked. “We’re gonna go there and risk running into those DNKG?”

“I’ll put a Concealment Charm on the ship so they won’t detect us, we’ll be fine.”

“I’m starting to think Morgan’s writing this story.” Eel commented.

“ARE YOU GONNA HELP ME OR NOT??”

“OKAY.” They chorused boredly.

“Siiiigh.” Nollid eye-rolled. “Great. Let’s get on your R.E.P.M.A.C.S. and get going.” He stepped inside their window and walked first to the hangar.

“Can we at least eat dinner first?” Eel asked.

“Don’t worry, I still have my canned bean casserole, we can eat it on the way.” Ulul assured.

“YAAAAY.”

**Dnalhsa, West Ainigriv**

Sirhc braved the night and made his way to Dnalhsa in the hopes of meeting his friend. He had no intention of going truth-or-giving with all the scary costumes, and this was the very reason why. So if he had to endure a Halloween of real monsters, he and Yddam could endure it together. “H-Helloooo? Yddam?” Sirhc called nervously when he arrived at the park. “AAAAAAHHHHH!” When that sudden gush of water struck him in the chest, he shot up to the nearest tree’s branches and held tight like a scared kitty.

“HEY, Sirhc!” A green, scaly, fishlike creature with a familiar voice and brown hair called out. “How do I look??”

“Y-Y-Y…Yddam?” He still didn’t let go of the branch.

“I was gonna dress as one of those fishpeople from Anaeco, and look what happens!!” She never looked more joyous. “People keep saying there’s no stars in the sky, well GUESS what just came down and GAVE me my WISH!”

“Umm-m-m..” Sirhc nervously climbed down, “that’s great and all, Yddam, but how long are you st-staying like this?”

“I dunno. Hopefully forever, ’cause I NEVER wanna change back! I was over at the pool earlier, I stayed under for five whole minutes and didn’t get tired at all! I can live in the ocean and be friends with the merpeople, and I can visit YOU on land whenever I want, this is a dream come true!!”

“Y-You’re-You’re, you’re not gonna LIVE in the ocean, are you?”

“Not REALLY, Sirhc—what, with all those scary sharks down there?—but I wonder if I can put on other costumes and try MORE powers? ? Oh, I gotta check it out! !” And she went dashing down the street on her webbed feet.

“W-Wait, Yddam!” Sirhc toddled after. “Th-That might be dangerous! Oh boy…”

**Planet Ralava**

The fairytale world of magic and wonder was still as it was even in this dreaded universe. As you might expect, people endure sad endings instead of happy, but on the brighter side, couples of princes and princesses take the time to develop their relationships and decide whether or not they like each other, and a majority of the dragons wield Dark Elements. It’s also rumored that most of the Yensid movie plots originate from Ralava’s history. The thing about Ralava compared to whatever its opposite had to offer was that it was more evolved, with planes, giant village buildings, and of course factories that made the sky appear red.

Nollid and Sector ZR soared through smogging green clouds on their R.E.P.M.A.C.S. and viewed the shabby-looking landscape. “So where does Lepmur live?” Eel asked, piloting the craft.

“I can’t imagine the Elfin Forest is very inhabitable… let’s visit the Gold River.” Nollid suggested. “Definitely the freshest water source around here, I dunno WHERE else he’d wanna live. I think it’s just over that—”

 _“AAAARR.”_ A dark dragon shaded by the clouds swooped by and whacked their ship with its tail.

“Statistics show that 97% of the time someone’s trying to finish a sentence while passing a planet’s atmosphere, they get shot down.” Atawid said.

“We need a test to prove that theorem.” Ynned mentioned. Immediately, the dragon latched atop the roof, its head hanging upside down before their windshield. “That should work.”

“In the pods!” cried Nollid, so Ynned uninterestedly pressed a button, sealed the six inside pods, and shot down to the planet below before the dragon liquefied their ship in a cloud of toxic gas.

They crashed on scorched, barren ground as they climbed out of their pods, but soon found their selves surrounded by dragons with gargoyles on their backs, sitting on saddles and having ropes around the dragons’ mouths like horses. “Well, if we don’t have a couple of Earthlings in our atmosphere.” spoke a yellow-haired gargoyle, Ecatcurtse, on a long-necked Shadow Dragon. “No doubt spies for those wannabe conquerors.”

“Was only a matter of time before Earth finally caved in.” a gargoyle with green spiky hair – Nojid – riding a fat Gas Dragon, replied. “I almost wanted to ask for his autograph. Do me a favor and send your dead bodies to him for me. THAT’S my new opinion of him.” he said to the humans.

“You have it all wrong, we came here ’cause our planet is in trouble and we need Lepmur Nikstlits to come and help fix it.” Nollid told them. “Just help us get to the Gold River Forest and we’ll leave you guys alone, okay? …Unless, of course, we’re unable to return to Earth by our own means.”

“THAT’S the easiest trick in the book.” a female magenta-haired gargoyle, Yrdnic Emad, retorted. “Everyone KNOWS the water from the Gold River restores life-force, and its core can prob’ly make someone live forever. Well, go ’head and try, dorks, ’cause you’ll only get more lost the more you look for it.”

“Still, this _could_ be our chance to grab some info off their dictator.” Ecat figured. “Take them to the boss so we can sweep out their minds. We don’t find anything important, we’ll still take them hostage. If they aren’t EVEN important… our dragons dine tonight.”

Nojid’s dragon blasted a cloud of pink gas and put the six humans to sleep.

**Sol Selegna**

The semi-chaos was still going on even in this town, but since monsters weren’t generally as feared compared to the Posiverse, well, things didn’t go so bad for anyone. But one particular Nimbi would take advantage of this commotion, an angel with sapphire blue hair taking flight to the dark clouds above. Ydolem Noskcaj had dressed as Sapphire Happy and taken her form. With a beautiful pair of white feathered wings, Ydolem soared beyond the heavens, to the lovely realm of Aipyks. It was a very weird sight for all the local Nimbi to see. One with oddly-colored hair, and such unnaturally white wings, soaring among their kind. How could such a creature exist, such an… anomaly?

Within the skies were giant trees made of clouds, and Ydolem was flying to the biggest tree of all. Flying to the highest window of the highest room, and landing on the floor like some everyday citizen. “Hello, you all!” But her friendly greeting was repaid with spears aimed at her neck.

“It takes a Nimbi a lot of wingbone to fly in _here_ dressed that way.” spoke Supreme Nimbi Leader, Ibsej, floating down from her throne. “ _That_ show was just some human’s mock interpretation of our kind, and any Nimbi that takes any _liking_ to such nonsense is a disgrace to our kind. The moment we saw you come in, in that form… we knew you were not one of us.”

“No, I don’t think it’s a disgrace at all.” Ydolem said honestly. “I think it’s a rather lovely show, and only the humans’ way of trying to understand this culture.”

“The humans MOCK us because angels are said to be closer to the gods than any other race. But you know as well as I do, the Negaverse has no such thing. The humans can NEVER come to respect us.”

“That’s not true.” Ydolem replied sadly. “Humans _can_ respect you. Because… I am a human.”

“You are… an airbender?” one of the female guards asked.

“No. A shadowbender. It’s Halloween down below, and some strange thing happened where we all took the form of our costumes. I chose to dress as Sapphire Happy, so…”

“So you’ve come to mock us.” a boy accused.

“No. My wish is to try and understand your people… and maybe make friends.”

“We’ve heard of no Nimbi becoming friends with humans. Let alone one that tries to hide among our kind.” Ibsej stated.

“But don’t you know? Nimbis exist within _our_ DNK, too: Ibyf and Asia… and Ibyf’s mother. If they live among the humans, why can’t humans be with your kind, too?”

“People like them are traitors to our kind. Much like the Naidnahs who lived on the humans’ land long ago… they don’t belong with us if they want to exist _below_ us.”

“Living above, or below someone… isn’t that the way Aluben wishes to live? Are you deciding to align with her?” Ydolem asked earnestly.

“Why, pray tell, is the human-playing-dress-up so interested?” the boy guard, Ibram inquired.

“After how my leader stood up to Aluben, I wasn’t very worried about them much… but then my brother betrayed us to work for them.” Ydolem looked down. “Now my secret wish is to do anything to stop them. And I know you don’t want to fall under their rule, either. I would like for our two organizations… to work together.”

“Assuming that we would… how can you guarantee our safety?”

“I can’t. But will any being be safe with Aluben ruling us? That’s why we should unite against her. And maybe our example will inspire the others to join, too.”

“Hang on, _I_ see what you’re doing.” Ibram glared. “Your boss, _Nerehc’s_ trying to become the new dictator, and ’e sent YOU here to get us to join HIS side!”

“And using clever voodoo magic for a disguise, even?” a girl named Ibnus asked. “Did you really think you could convince us?”

“No, it’s not true.” If Ydolem’s tone could change, she would sound very desperate. “Nerehc never told us anything about that, I came here my _self_. I just… think it’d be good for both of us.”

“I should’ve known.” Ibsej stated. “No human can be trusted. Seize her!”

The guards all blasted Fear Screams, but Ydolem shot up with a forceful flap of her wings and out the window. Swarms of Nimbi flew after her like fighter planes, blasting round after round of bullets from machineguns. ’Cause what reasonable Nimbi uses bows-and-arrows anymore? “Hmph, and to think.” Ibsej said to herself. “I almost believed her.”

**Ralava; Supreme Leader’s treehouse**

Perhaps not-so-coincidentally, the team of Nollid and Sector ZR were brought to Supreme Ralava Leader, Niffirg Latsyrcerif, who wore square glasses and was reading a book while five other gargoyles at the base of the stairway to his throne did the same. They all lowered their books when they heard the six humans being led in. “Well, this is an interesting surprise.” the leader spoke with a nerdy voice.

“We caught these spies flying close to the Gold River Forest.” Nojid explained. “We think they’re DNKG spies. Earth finally caved in. I say we scan their minds for information.”

“Hmmmm.” Niffirg flapped forward to study the humans more closely. “…Looks like someone’s into sci-fi.” he said to Nollid.

“I AM NOT A JEDI!” he screamed, his head throbbing.

“Something doesn’t really sit right.” Niffirg said, folding his arms. “Why would the Earth Leader suddenly give in so easily?”

“Because he didn’t,” Atawid spoke quickly, “your cohorts are merely basing their makeshift information off of biased and predetermined knowledge in order to achieve a means to an end, a natural notion as they generally dislike both parties and therefore will wish to link them together so they may extinguish two birds with one stone.”

“Yeah, she’s sort of a know-it-all.” Ynned mentioned. “Go on and search us, but in all fairness, Nollid’s the only one who gives a crud, he just pulled us along.”

Assuming the Yrrah Rettop boy was Nollid, Niffirg approached him casually. “Then let us find out.” Nollid closed his eyes and let Niffirg plant his hand on his forehead.

_He saw images in Nollid’s mind from his childhood, his lazy drunk father slumped on his couch and chucking beer bottles (not just empty ones) which barely missed his son’s head. Nollid turned to his mother, who wiped her son’s mind of anything having to do with science and logic and introduced him to the wizarding arts, an art which Nollid found to enjoy. She taught him not to care for or trust anyone but himself, but all across Nollid’s life, Niffirg saw him bailing Nosam out of embarrassing situations with Lorac, zapping a bully into a frog when he was picking on a girl, zapping Ininap and Nerehc back to their normal sizes, and later speaking with the uninterested Sector ZR about trying to stop this Monster Curse._

Niffirg pulled away. “…These guys are clean. You guys can go.”

“Siiiiiigh.” Nojid sighed as they left. “’Guess the dragons are eating butterfly again. Ressag’s not gonna like this..”

Niffirg led the humans to an alternate room while his fellow psychics returned to reading upside-down books. “Sorry about the mess, my guys’ve been doing this with everybody that visits our planet.” he told them. “We learned how to tame dragons recently and make them work for us. I preferred if we didn’t, but it was either that or get eaten, I guess.”

“Aren’t you all made of stone?” Ennael asked.

“You seen the teeth on those guys? Anyway, I’ll help you guys look for Lepmur and give you a ride back home if you want; I heard that too many people wanted Lepmur’s help with things, so that’s why he made a hideout near the core of the Gold River.”

“Is it true the Gold River can really make someone immortal?” Nollid asked.

“Yes, but there’s a kind of spell in place where you can only go there IF you aren’t intending to use the river. So you should have no problem getting in.”

“Hey, Boss!” a yellow-haired gargoyle flew in. “Nylesoj just got back from the forest collecting jellyflies. He said Lepmur wasn’t there!”

“What? Then where is he, we need him for something!”

“Is there any other place he likes to hang out?” Eel asked.

“Beats me… listen, Eilrahc, get more guys and look around for him. I’ll take these guys back to Earth.”

“For what?” Nollid asked.

“We can still catch this Kcaj guy and make him fix all this, can’t we? If we can’t find Lepmur, that’s our next best option.”

“But we aren’t even sure—”

“Like the typical criminal, prankster, or general Henry Handy,” Atawid spoke quickly, “Kcaj would love to observe the results of his actions from afar, but not too far as to not see, nor too close as to be discovered, and judging by his already-odd appearance, he would take shelter inside the Nainigriv Forest which he probably called his base before choosing Ainigriv in particular to be the source point for his worldwide spell. Also judging by his obsession over something hopeless for a great number of years, even so being immortal, he is probably trying to fight some inner turmoil and is crying his little waxy eyes out in the forest where no one will hear him bawling like a whiny little brat.”

“…” They only stared amazed. “Are you really sure-” Niffirg began.

“Positive let’sgetonit.” Nollid said quickly.

**Nainigriv Forest**

The man behind the scenes, Kcaj Nretnal’O himself had retreated to the edge of the near-dead forest. Pressing the Book of Shadows to his chest with his left hand, and holding his wand in his right, the pumpkin-headed man was sobbing. “It’s over Kcajy.” He jumped with a start and looked to the branches. Nollid, Sector ZR, and Niffirg were perched in the trees. “Your days of gift-giving are over.”

Kcaj quickly backed away. “No! I’m not giving up, yet! NOT UNTIL HE UNDERSTANDS!”

“Until _who_ understands?” Ulul asked.

“Look, Kcaj, just change everyone back and this can all go so much more smoothly.” Niffirg told him.

“NnnnnNEVER!” Kcaj raised his wand. “You’ll undo this spell over MY dead juice! Ascendio!” He propelled high above the branches like a rocket.

“Let’s get ’im!” Nollid yelled as Niffirg raised him by the arms and flew after the pumpkin-head. As Kcaj leaped across the trees using his spell, Nollid held his wand in his teeth and spat spells at him, though missing was easy with his being unable to aim. Kcaj stopped for a while and blasted spells back at them, but Niffirg was a little slow in dodging with Nollid weighing him down. Both mages whirled their wands and blasted simultaneous red spheres, and both struck their opponents as Kcaj fell from the treetops while Nollid and Niffirg hit the ground, stunned stiff. “Nnn, ZR! Hurry an’ catch him!” the former grunted.

“Sigh, we don’t get paid enough.” Ennael moaned, surfing an earth-wave she created to catch up and propel herself before a startled Kcaj. He whipped around and saw Eel hurl his own rock-cuffs toward him, swiftly flipping aside to evade. He threw spells at Ennael which she blocked with rock walls, then soon found his legs being tied with vines. Ulul’s plantbending was the source of this, and as she tried to pull him upside-down, he blasted a fire spell and destroyed the vines to drop free and escape.

Meanwhile, Atawid and Ynned had stayed behind while the former finished drawing a schematic. “Judging by the trajectory by which the others chased Kcaj, mixed with the likely pattern of attacks to alter such course, our target is now approximately 30.5 cubic meters southwest of here, which means you will have to hit this rock 40 cubic meters that way as well, are you ready?”

“Uh-huh.” Ynned had his bat ready.

“Which such distance will only be accurate on my count of 3. One. Two. Three.” She chucked the hand-size rock with full force, and Ynned swung with all the strength in his back.

Kcaj was escaping fast through the forest, and with the sticky substance Kcaj had trapped the earthbenders in with his wand, there seemed to be no way of catching him. “OOF!” That is, until the rock came and flung the pumpkin off his body with perfect precision. His head rolled along the ground while his body fell defeated. “Boo hoo hoo hoo.” His candlelit eyes wept wax. “All I wanted, sniff… was to show him that _I_ could help people, too… to show him I cared. Why won’t he NOTICE me, WAH HA HAAA!”

“I already have…”

The pumpkin swerved toward the source of the gentle voice and gaped. Lepmur Nikstlits faced him with adorable loving eyes. “Lepmur… You… knew all along?”

Lepmur held him in his tiny elf hands. “I think it was the sweetest gesture in the world… but you didn’t have to go so far.”

He blinked his sparkly blue eyes, making Kcaj blush. “Well, heh… you know what love does.”

“Uhhhhh someone clear this up for me.” Ennael intervened. “Are you saying you two…”

A big pink heart seemed to appear behind the two, for they looked so radiant. “ARE A PAIR!”

And never more than ever did the seven viewers want to die. “…Okay, Morgan officially took over this story.” Eel said.

“Well uh, if that’s straightened out, can Kcaj fix the curse now?” Nollid asked.

“Oh, this sillykins couldn’t cast a global spell like _thaaat_ ,” Lepmur cooed, scratching Kcaj’s cheek, “he’d need a _really_ powerful source of magic besides that old spellbook. I betchu anything the curse reverses itself midnight on the dot. And that should be riiiiight-” he looked at his watch, “now.”

And just like that, Nollid poofed back to his regular form, and that puffing sound echoed all across the town.

**Dnalevelc Beach**

Sirhc had witnessed Yddam dive into the sea in her new Fishman form. She promised she would be back in minutes, but she may have neglected that promise. “…SIRRRHC- cough cou, keh!” She suddenly resurfaced in her human form a few meters out.

“Yddam!”

“Keh, quick! Get-” But three merkids popped out and grabbed around her.

“Thought they’d get a human to _spy_ on us, huh?” a merboy said. “Your voodoo spell ran out of time. And so will you.” They vanished beneath the depths with their hostage.

“YDDAM!” Sirhc took his first steps in the water as he ran- “Ulp!” but retreated back the moment he felt its odd substance. “Uuuuh-h… I-I’ll go get Hcaz!” He ran back to town.

**Aipyks**

Ydolem had been evading the Nimbi for half an hour, and hoped she would be back home before long. “Whooooa!” In a sudden flash, her flight powers vanished, but she didn’t fall long before two Nimbi grabbed her by the arms.

“We’ll see just how much Nerehc cares for you.” one of them threatened. As Ibsej watched them take her away, she still felt so disappointed. She was really hoping to join forces with them…

**Back at Ainigriv**

“Sooo… that’s it?” Ennael asked. “Problem solved plain and simple? No other extra conflict?”

“None to our knowledge.” Ulul replied.

“Well, I guess we’ll be on our way now.” Kcaj said.

“Let’s become a star together.” And with a magical rainbow wave of his wand, a shining white unicorn with rainbow manes carried Lepmur and Kcaj on its back and galloped beyond the clouds, beyond the sky, to the brightest, shiniest star in all the heavens.

 _So Lepmur and Kcaj soared into the sun, never to be heard from again. The symbol of their love burned so bright for the whole Negaverse to see. …Yes, Gameverse Studios pretty much cut the budget for this story, it’s all being devoted to_ Seven Lights _. This part doesn’t make_ sense _really, if Rumpel dies during Christmas, why is his Negative dying on Halloween? Well, I guess it takes a fairly long time to fly to the sun using rainbow unicorns. Bad luck for Rumpel, I’d say. …This is Patrick Stewart, by the way. Can I have my 8 bucks now?_

 

**P.S., I just started playing the _Sly Cooper_ Collection, so expect that to pull my attention away from this story.**


	10. The Devil’s Girlfriend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nerehc Onu spends the day with his girlfriend, Sipa.

**Lordeh, am Ah glad to fin’ly be here.**

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Chapter -11: The Devil’s Girlfriend

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**Water -7**

Water -7... assuming the “Water” part is accurate. True, it would’ve been water, if not for all the oil and sludge polluting its blueness. People got around this canal island on mini steamboats, the rivers black with oil, and much waste being dumped out its coasts. In brightest day, the sky was dark with smoke clouds, and it was amazing anyone could survive here. Hence, why isn't this called “Poison -7”.

Sitting atop the barely-active fountain was the treehouse belonging to Sector -W7. Five of its members sat around in total boredom, barely watching or listening to its active TV. The quiet was disrupted when a snake slithered into the room and up Yenmihc’s dress. “AAAH! What’re you doing, GET IT OUT, GET IT OUT!”

The snake flew out and down Lirpa’s shirt. “AAAAH STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT!” Went out and went for Ebnog. The little blue rabbit wore a casual, uninterested frown before kicking it away.

The snake morphed back into Lilliputian member, Ahcniea. “Cough, cough! Heeeey!”

“HAAAAA hahahahahaha!” Sipa, a devilish girl in a black dress and white pointed hat, cackled as she marched in. “Ahhhh, the snake. My favorite animal of all time. You know it was the snake that set all these lovely events in motion.” She winked.

“What did you do that for, Sipa?!” Ahcniea shouted.

“Because I wanted to have fun, and I did. You were merely my tool in doing so, just as I am a tool to the great and glorious Satan!”

“You only treat me this way because I’m small! I didn’t ASK to be born this way!”

“Yes, well, you are. But it’s okay, for you are merely the example that humans are tiny, insignificant beings to the power of demons.”

Ebnog’s rabbit ears perked. “Tsk tsk.” It twitched, for he clearly knew he wasn’t a cat and therefore didn’t meow.

“I know, Ebnog. Asia’s coming.” Yenmihc agreed.

The flapping of wings were heard as an angel child flew into the room. She was the Nega-Nimbi Asia, with a green sweater, black pants with white shoes, clean dark-red hair, and pitch-black wings. “Phew. Man, the clouds were AWFUL today. Why can’t we just relocate instead of living in all this filth?”

“Because God makes all fools suffer.” Sipa stated. “You guys really oughta worship Satan, he’ll give you whatever you want.”

“Sorry. But I’m Catholic.” Yenmihc stated. “Which is exactly why He put me in charge of all of you clods. Speaking of which, is Ahcom still stuck in her room? Lirpa, go let ‘er out.”

“Why do **I** have to do everything around here, WHY DO you all TREAT me this way?!”

“Lirpa, just go do it.”

“RrrrrrRRRR!” The 12-year-old angrily stormed off to Ahcom’s room. On the other side, she heard the short girl’s grunting, unable to turn the knob, and annoyedly opened it for her.

“There you are, what took you so long?!” Ahcom asked hatefully.

“It’s not MY fault it was closed!”

“Well, now my LEGS are too tired. Carry me.” She sat.

“Grrrr!” Lirpa lifted and carried Ahcom to the living room.

“Sipa, hurry up and make us food, I’m hungry.” Yenmihc demanded.

“Would you like fried goat?”

“NO.”

“Yenmihc, why’re you always so MEAN to people, why can’t you be nice?!” Lirpa asked.

“Because I’m stuck with idiots! A whiny shrimp, crazy voodoo witch, big fat WIMP, germ-freak angel, and YOU a total LOUDMOUTH.”

“Who’s calling WHO a loudmouth!!”

“When it matters. When’d the DNK decide to let you freaks in, anyway. There’s a Aipyks DNK, an Anaeco DNK, why couldn’t THIS DNK stay HUMAN dominated?”

“But aren’t you a ¼ mermaid?” Ahcniea asked.

“Peh. My human blood outmatches my ‘mermaid’, so it means nothing. Even if YOU all aren’t totally human, I’d forgive you if it weren’t for your quirks.”

“And I’d probably like this place better if we had a couple boys.” Niea said dreamily. “Couple-a hunky cute boys who wanna hold me close.”

“Nah, you’d do much better with a girlfriend, Ahcniea!” Sipa grinned, pulling out her wand. “In fact-”

“Sipa, please don’t-!”

“IMPERIO!”

At that instant, Ahcniea lost all sense of feeling or awareness.

“Now kissy-faaaaace, mw-mw-mw-mw.” She levitated Ahcniea to Yenmihc and tried to force her tiny face against the latter’s giant lips.

“HEY, HEY, stop it, Sipa!”

“YOU too.”

With that, both girls were under the spell as Yenmihc grabbed Ahcniea and lovingly embraced her in a deep kiss. Yenmihc’s huge lips engulfed Ahcniea’s tiny face. Their eyes were shut, their tongues making contact, and they enjoyed every minute of it. They looked as though they wanted to be this way forever, and share their love forever.

“Aaaaaand break.”

No sooner could Yenmihc throw Ahcniea to the ground. “PLEACH!! Don’t you EVER do that AGAIN!”

“UUGH!” Ahcniea wiped her tongue. “That’s IT, I’M LEAVING!” She stomped off.

“Where ya gonna GO, Lillistick?” Yenmihc stated.

“Why can’t we go ONE day without HAVING A FIGHT?!” yelled Lirpa.

“Yenmihc, do you ever think about putting on shoes?” Asia asked. “Your toenails are looking really dirty.”

Yenmihc slipped out her sandal and kicked Asia across the face. “Yeah, dirty with your CLEANNESS!”

“Ewwwww!” Asia hurriedly cleaned the mark off.

“Lirpaaaaa! Help me open the freezeeeerrr!” Ahcom yelled, too tiny to reach it.

“UGH!! YOU GUYS FUCKING SUCK! I HOPE ALL OF YOU DROP DEAD!” And Lirpa was storming out of there as well.

“Yeah, you lopes are boring. I’m gettin’ out.” Sipa stated before heading for the exit. She raised both hands in a rock-and-roll sign and cheered, “Hail Satan!” before closing the door.

**Planet Ainozama**

The sparks of blowtorches blew everywhere as the giant children worked tirelessly on their project. The huge, metallic, circular device was close to completion. “I-It’s almost finished.” stuttered Ardnusyrhc, who sat next to Annaira. “Soon as we test it, it’ll, work like a charm.”

“Not yet, Aluben requested it be hooked onto a ship and be able to target someone with a laser to transport them.” Anna reminded. “You still have a bit to go.”

“Wh-Wh-Why does Aluben want something like this again? …”

“So that she can send Nerehc _away_ for awhile, of course. We still need to recruit the Nimbi and Minish to our side, even more so finding her make-believe tree. To see that Nerehc interferes not with us, well, Aluben goes to unnecessarily great lengths to see to that. We are also fascinated if a similar situation becomes of his Positive. Of course, she also desires a few test dummies in case things, you know, go awry. Thankfully, my associates managed to acquire one.”

“But I thought Aluben _needed_ Nerehc. Won’t he need a way home?”

“And if our experiments show correctly, Nerehc’s Positive will be transported by his own means, so he’ll likely seek his help. Hopefully that help won’t come too soon before we’ve secured a majority of Earth. When all other armies are aligned against the DNK, Nerehc will have to force surrender or allow his subjects to die. It’s the only negative consequence to being 1/4th Positive, really. A consequence Aluben is counting on.”

**EiznekCm Household**

“NEEEEREEEEHHHC! HURRY UP AND TAKE OUT THE TRASH!”

“O-KAY, Mom!” Nerehc annoyedly hauled a huge sack of trash to his… _past_ the trashcan, and dumped it in the street. “Heh heh heh ha.” He turned to walk ba- “GAH!”

“SACRILEEEEGE!” Sipa poofed out of thick smoke (op. thin air :P). “Greetings, O Prince of the Darkland!” she humbly bowed.

Nerehc bowed back, “My Maid of the Earthworms. What news hath thee to bring?” He smirked humorously.

“A high school brainiac was about to take a really important test. I reconfigured his mind to write ‘Satan is great’ for all the answers.”

“Thine service to us is accounted.” They stood straight up again. “…HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” And exchanged laughter.

“Hi, Sipa. How’s the sector?”

“Simply awful. May I hang out with you today? I never feel so close to His Greatness than when I’m with you.”

“Eh, sure, what the heck.”

“May I see the sword?”

“Mm.” He drew his white, shiny sword.

“Aaaaaaahh!” Its light reflected off Sipa’s wide eyes. “The Devil’s Sword!” She softly rubbed her hands along it. “I can feel its evil presence! Oh, to be struck with this unholy blade!”

Nerehc sheathed it, smirking. “Maybe next time. Hey MA, I’m goin’ out.” he yelled as they left down the street.

_“OKAY, bring back a couple birds.”_

**Dnalevelc Park**

“So what’s new in your existence?” Nerehc asked.

“Oh, nothing in particular. Though every day, I feel as though I get a little closer to glorious Satan! I’ve been perfecting my magic, and may I say, people will never be happy anytime soon.”

“Won’t they now?” Nerehc smirked.

“Mm-hm! HEY, little boy!” A nearby blonde boy looked over and ran over to them with a quizzical look. “INTO A BEETLE!” A flick of her wand, the boy shrunk down into a beetle. “Hahahahahahaha!” The two laughed joyously as he skittered around like the bug he was. “Quick, step on it!” Both friends stomped their feet in a, ecstatic attempt to murder the helpless insect, laughing as though it were a simple, friendly game. Which it was. “OW!” Both ended up stomping the other’s foot, exchanging a friendly smile. “BACKTONORMAL!” Another flick, and the kid spun back to normal.

“AAAAH!” He couldn’t run faster to get away from the witch, but-

“CURSE!” He tripped when Sipa zapped a spell at his leg, leaving a black ‘X’ mark. “If you tell anybody what happened here, a virus will steadily eat you from the inside until every ounce of your body becomes limp and practically dead.” ;D She winked as though this was a simple joke, but it wasn’t. Well, not on the boy’s end, anyway.

“Nnnnn!” He ran away from that park and would never come back.

“Aaaaah, the joy of seeing someone terrified and scarred.” smiled Sipa with peace as they walked along. “YOU, CHOKE YOUR BOYFRIEND!” She cast a spell on a woman as she marched off to carry her task. She then noticed a teenage boy smoothly talking to a girl, and with a light flick, _“Reducio!”_ a spell hit his crotch, and he was suddenly embarrassed and cowering away. She saw a puppy happily sniffing a baby in a stroller, and cast a spell to make the puppy attack the infant viciously, the mother frightfully grabbing her and running away.

“Hm hm, you really enjoy this, don’t you?” Nerehc smirked as they stopped. “Aren’t you ever afraid of getting punished?”

“What’s the worst that can happen? The more I sin, the more I am bound to spend my eternity in Hell, where the demons will harvest my evil soul and fuel their lustful kind for another decade!” She spoke with wide, dreamy eyes and a hopeful smile. “I’m just so happy to fill people with misery.”

“Yeah, but don’t forget, I’m the Demon Prince.” He smirked. “Maybe I’ll grant you a pardon and have you sent to the Spirit World, where all your evil will be washed away.”

“Perhaps.” smirked Sipa. “But seeing as you’re still in mortal form, I can control you with my magic. I can make you bow to me, and worship me as Satan’s daughter.”

“Wanna test that theorem?” he asked with challenging eyes.

“Imperio!” She aimed her wand and stood regally, Nerehc falling to his knees, head held low, and hands flat on the ground. He looked like a lowly servant to his royal princess, but his unfazed smile stayed. “Bend backward and shake your waist.” Nerehc bent like a rainbow bridge and shook. “Stand on your head and spin.” His cranium ached greatly as it pressed against the rugged sidewalk to support his weight, even more so when he spun. “While also scratching your butt.” Forced to balance his spinning, he struggled to reach up and scratch his rear. “STOP.” Nerehc fell on his front with an unbearable headache. “Nooow… kiss my feet.” He puckered his lips and loomed closer to her right shoe… “AAAAHH!” but yanked Sipa’s dress up to sink his teeth in her leg.

She kicked him off as Nerehc stood back up. “Well, ‘guess you don’t have full control after all. Face it, Sip, I’m just too great.”

“CRUCIO!”

“Nnn-!” Nerehc flinched at this sudden Torture Curse, but only a light pain sparked in his receptors, and he was able to bear it. “Heheh! Have to try better than that!”

“Locomotor Wibbly!”

“WAAH!” Nerehc suddenly fell off his feet.

“Hkk, KAH ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

Nerehc smiled at her childish, fun-filled laughter and helped himself up. Even though it was over his torment, hearing her laugh brightened Nerehc’s day. Both friends took a seat on the bench to watch the activity in the park. “When I grow up… I wanna open my own voodoo shop and give tons of unlucky souls evil curses.” Sipa smiled. “My spells only last so long, but I would love to give people an indefinite hex and banish their souls to Hell. And if I put my mind to it, I can take over a whole town and make Satanism the sole religion!”

“Well, if terrible times can happen in a world the Devil watches, I don’t see why your dream couldn’t come true.”

“What’s your dream, Nerehc? To rule the Demon Realm and establish eternal darkness, right? ?”

“Heh heh. To be honest, I… never thought of it. My true dream..”

“I think you can challenge the Dictator for her title. You already resisted her powers, you can take the whole galactic empire for yourself. And make everybody kneel before you.”

“It sounds nice, but… eh, I just don’t think I’d be in to that. Commanding a bunch of idiots. I can’t even keep order on my own planet. ‘t’s why you and your sector are a mess.”

“Well then what WOULD you like to do? Come on, TELL ME.” She flicked her wand, making Nerehc flinch.

“ _Hck_ , I…. don’t know.” He smirked.

“UUUUGH!” She released. “You’re no fun!”

“Well, I’m Cheren’s opposite, so one of us must be lying.”

“Ha ha ha ha ha!” Both laughed.

Nerehc stretched an arm behind her head while Sipa leaned against his side. “Siiiigh. Boy, that Halloween was messed up.”

“Oh yes, the curse thing. I bet you made an _adorable_ beetle!”

“Eh, my mom sure didn’t think so. Reminds me, I think… Sicnarf wanted me to _do_ somethin’… oh yeah, try and talk to the Nimbi and get ‘em to join our side.”

“HA ha ha! The Nimbi!” laughed Sipa. “Such funny creatures. Don’t represent the God they supposedly live under at all. Though seeing an army of winged angels of darkness under your command does interest me.”

“No, it’s more of trying to merge our two armies to fight a million aliens. Trying to understand each other, all that crap.”

“A waste of time, if you ask me. Even if different races _do_ work together, they’re always gonna have their own particular peeves with each other, and no one’ll ever understand each other fully. It’s just the natural order of things. Plus, if our creators wanted us to ‘understand’ each other, why’d they separate us to begin with?”

“I suppose. But we do have to do something about that dictator, can’t just let ‘er take us over.”

“But you already DID do something about her. Your demons’ strength has overcome her own, you can destroy her and claim the whole empire for your own.”

“Yeah, but- …still… it’ll get annoying with any group attacking us so much, maybe making peace would be a… good thing? Just so they’ll leave us alone.”

“If you say so, though it’d be much easier to scare them into leaving you alone. I would say that—”

“Nerehc, THERE you are.” Sicnarf and Ininap had entered the park.

“So uh, hehe, spending time with your girlfriend today?” Ininap grinned nervously.

“Yeah, it looks that way. So sorry if I’m a little late coming to Moonbase.” Nerehc replied.

“Well, I _wish_ you’d come, because as your brother was apparently too scared to tell you last night, Yddam was-” Sicnarf tried to say.

“ _Hey, watch this_ —TEN GALLONS OF PEE!” Sipa zapped her wand at Sicnarf.

“HOOOOOAAAAAAH!” The boy desperately gripped his crotch, feeling the need to explode any second.

“Hnhn, feeling alright there, Sic?” Nerehc smirked.

“Ah-I just need…” He zipped away to find a decent tree.

“Uh, hehehehehehe.” Ininap laughed half-heartedly. “Th-That’s very funny, but um, Nerehc-”

“Bobble-Head Curse!” Sipa zapped Inap and suddenly caused her head to shake furiously, earning laughs from all the passerby. “I call this the Mr. Oblong!” Another zap as Ininap yanked her own legs up in a ‘U’, bouncing in circles on the base of her skirt. “Noooow CLIMB UP A TREE LIKE A SQUIRREL!”

Ininap started twitching and chattering like a squirrel, crouched and sticking two teeth out as she scampered toward a tree and climbed like the rodent she was. She stuck her head in a squirrel hole and engaged in tug-o-war with one for nuts, but she ended up taking the fall, quaking the ground as piles of nuts came down on her. Laughter sounded all throughout the park as people one-by-one left, and Nerehc and Sipa were the last two to finish. “Come on, let’s hit the town.” Sipa told him. As Ininap recovered, she watched as Nerehc and Sipa were exiting the park, holding hands.

She spat the acorns out of her mouth as Sicnarf returned to her, feeling more relieved than ever. “Well, if a forest don’t grow around that tree… Sigh, I don’t know what to do with him, Inap. If he doesn’t do _something_ , our DNK is through.”

“Oh, Nerehc is still just finding himself, he’ll come through fer us.” Ininap said with sureness. “He’s only kiddin’ around, that’s all.”

“How can you even _say_ that the way he treats you, not to mention his girlfriend…”

“Ay know he can be a little… _harsh_ sometimes… but he…he has a real big heart. You just… well, you shoulda heard what ‘e told to Ydolem one time.”

**Downtown Dnalevelc**

“So how ‘bout we visit Rainy Monkey Sour Land.” Sipa suggested as they walked a city street, tossing curses at people every which way. “You, destroy your priceless collection!” She zapped someone through a window with many fancy vases and china inside. “I was even thinking of getting the place Satan-oriented too. Get more kids into the religion, you know, I mean what else does that place have to go on. Run over those children.” She zapped an innocent driver, who rammed three kids crossing the street.

“That’s nice. So um, Christmas is coming soon. Mom’s probably not gonna wanna celebrate.”

“Why would you?” As they walked, the two passed a church where a pair of eyes peeped from the window. “Those measly God followers are only inspired to be good for the sake of petty clothes and other unsatisfactory presents, and letting some fat stranger break into their houses and steal cookies. And what’s this joke about a giant bunny leaving-”

“FRIENDS!” They whipped around to find a brown-skinned man in a white priests’ robe and slim black mustache shaped like a ‘V’. “Children! Misguided souls! Led astray from your righteous path, but your sanctuary is here, in St. Ollorf’s Church of the Lord!”

“Oh, geez.” Nerehc sighed. “It’s Yevrah Reilicaf, the crazy priest.”

“The LOORD hath spoken to me, and he hath SEEN YO’ SOULS!” exclaimed the priest. “You lost little children have been down the path of evil, but the Lord shall not give up in savin’ you from eternal damnation!”

“Even if I was inta spiritual stuff, your Lord is nonexistent. But don’t worry, I’m sure other children who wanna act like snobs will come here and-”

Reilicaf whipped in front of them, “DON’T you disrespect Him, Little Man! Don’t you derogate, or deride! You’re in His home, it’s your home, too. And He will save your eternal soul.”

 _“He will save your eternal soooooul.”_ The angelic voices sang as the church doors creaked open.

Reilicaf guided them in as he spoke, “Those were the angels of Heaven, kiddies. They God’s servants, they gonna help you too, don’t worry.” He snapped his fingers, lines of candles lighting up at the altar.

 _Stand right there at my platform._ Danced his way there.

_Put your minds at ease!_

_If you relax, I’ll be able to give you…_

_All that you will need!_ They begrudgingly walked up to the podium.

_He sees all yo’ do-ing._

_Even in yo’ bedrooms, too_

_But if you accept_ Jesus _in yo’ heart, and soul-_

“Everyone has a soul, Dearie,” he whispered to Sipa, “don’t worry.”

_Your dream then shall come true._

_I got Crosses_

_I got Holy Water_

_All this cool stuff you should TRY!_ He threw a bunch of Catholic items around.

_And He will save your eternal soul._

_He will SAVE your eternal soul._ Sang the angels.

“…?” It was then Reilicaf noticed his guests were gone. He caught a glimpse of the front doors closing all the way.

“Honestly, that’s one of the reasons I _became_ a Satanist.” Sipa informed as they continued walking. “People like him are so pushy—and when you think about it, we Satanists are far more accepting than Christians are. They hate pretty much everything that goes against them, which is like, half the people in this world. Benders, wizards, metahumans, God knows those gays… we Satanists pretty much welcome people like that. Heck, ever realize how many wizards are roaming the streets here? They aren’t afraid to show their selves more ‘cause most everyone knows God never watches this world, so it’s left to the demons to do so. I mean, I know I say that races and people are always gonna fight, but at the same time, people are accepted a lot better here than… Nerehc?” She noticed the boy had stopped and was leaning against a streetlight.

“Yeah, but… aside from the prejudice point of view, Christianity isn’t so bad. You gotta hand it, they’re pretty supportive with each other, and, well… all they really want is to follow the path of good.”

“What does _that_ have to do with anything? You know as well as I do that evil hearts are the only ones that accomplish anything, why do you think Aluben got to where she is. That’s what you have to _do_ Nerehc, you wanna counter her armies with your own, be ruthless and relentless and force those Nimbi to join you. And heck, why shouldn’t you do the same with the Minish, take a few tiny steps ‘cross their village on your toesies, they’ll know what you got over them.”

“Yeah, I-…I suppose…”

“There’s nothing to think about it! Anyway, worry about it later. Let’s go down to Rainy Monkey Land! There are quite a few spells I planned to test on those rides.” >; )

“Heheh, can’t wait to see!” ;)

“May I have the honor of being carried by His Highness?” Sipa bowed and held out an arm.

Nerehc took it. “You may.” And alighting his shoes with rockets, Nerehc blasted to the heavens.

**DNKG flagship**

The Dimension Transportifier was completed and hooked onto a huge vessel by the Nainozama, and connected to a huge laser turret on its keel. “So if you’ve done according to the blueprints, this laser can lock onto any individual on a planet, transport ‘em through the gateway, and poof they’re gone in another dimension?” Annaira asked Ardnusyrhc.

“M-My scientists never fail at this, yes…”

“Yes, but we can’t risk Dear Nerehc burning into soot. Let’s see if my cohorts acquired our subject successfully.” She implanted coordinates in the ship’s large terminal, and a gang of merkids came onscreen. “Greetings, Sector -FIN.”

 _“Yeah, what up, Bloodgirl.”_ greeted Nemas.

“I trust you still have your intruder?”

 _“Yes, but just a quickie, it won’t kill for_ two _, right?”_ He swam aside, revealing Yddam and Hcaz sealed inside Bubble Prisons.

 _“The ONE day I decide to swim in mermaid-infested waters to save your butt, and THIS is what happens.”_ Hcaz proclaimed with disgust.

_“Well I’M not the one who made you come down here!”_

“This could work in our favor.” Anna said. “In case _one_ subject dies, we’ll have a second chance on the other. Their lives aren’t very relevant to us, so we’ll lose little. We’ll arrive at the atmosphere by Thursday; keep the prisoners until we signal you to bring them to surface.”

 _“Right as you say, Your Shallowness.”_ Elyk bowed, his friends mimicking. _“Keep them in the brig, guys.”_ They switched off.

“Siiiigh if only Ainozama ships could go any faster.” Anna sighed. “Well, this makes good break time. Bring me my 12-stomach beef.” She marched to the kitchen.

**Rainy Monkey Sour Land**

If there was one park that wasn’t good for children, it was one themed around venomous baboons that had blood dripping from their teeth after tearing the heads off of angels. Instead of candy and toys for prizes, it was veggies and law books. The petting zoo bore ancient, gray animals who were allowed to be killed for lunch, and when visitors wanted to mellow out, they could visit the scenic graveyard just to the northeast, with broken stones and half-buried corpses. Yep, it would really be hard to find a happy, cheery face here.

“YEEEEAAAAH!” Only Nerehc and Sipa could bare some as they rode the log-boat down the stream of red “juice”, but instead of stopping at the bottom, Sipa cast a charm to make the boat levitate and slam it into a family of three, mother and her son and daughter. Next, they visited the Tunnel of Resent, where within the darkness, Sipa cast spells to make several of the goers unclothe and, get inappropriate. They sat on the front of a roller-coaster screaming to the sky, and Sipa zapped a spell to dislodge their cart from the others, make it move faster, then destroyed the track behind them to injure several.

Next, they were in the bloodbags, equivalent to teacups, but still spinning around and around as Ner and Sip laughed happily. And like before, Sipa cast a spell to make everyone else’s bloodbags fly up like rockets, all the way to the clouds before they exploded and rained down blood. They then visited the game ‘Shoot the Angels’, using arrow guns to shoot said cardboard creatures, but “Reducto!” Sipa made it a lot easier by destroying the whole stand, claiming the law books, turning them into cotton candy, and letting the two munch. The graveyard was suddenly packed with viewers today when Sipa arrived, having alit several colored torches and performing some kind of magic show that fascinated people. The half-buried corpses rose back to life and began chasing children all throughout the park. Sipa blew the smoke from her wand and exchanged a grin with Nerehc.

The two were on a bench and gazing at the momentarily-clear sky as crows flapped overhead. A bright green light flew from Sipa’s wand and caused one of the birds to drop down dead. Nerehc smiled, held the bird above his hand, and cooked it with a violet flame.

They finally rested on a Ferris wheel, rotating at its top as Sipa lied her head on Nerehc’s lap, gazing at the stars. “Tell me the Seven Deadly Sins again.”

“Ummmm, Gluttony.”

Sipa munched off part of the bird. “And?”

“Greed.”

Sipa aimed her wand at a lower slot and summoned the money from that person’s wallet. “Mm-hm?”

“Sloth.”

Having no desire for the bird’s leg, she ripped it off, tossed it down, and missed the garbage by a few inches. “Eh.”

“Wrath.”

The person behind them chucked their soda at him, so out of revenge, Sipa turned his legs limp. “Okay.”

“Envy.”

She looked at a couple below making out, so furrowing her eyes, she cast a spell to make the male strangle his date.

“Pride.”

“I am the best Satanist in all the planet, I know.”

“Aaaaaand Lust.”

“More specifically?” inquired Sipa.

“Hm hm, Love.” And so, the two embraced in a deep kiss.

“Aaaaaahhh.” They sighed once they let go. “When our eternal damnation comes, I’m glad we’ll get to live it together.” Nerehc said.

“Yeah. Our souls will be so dark, the demons will cower. I can’t wait to go to Hell.”

“Assuming where we live isn’t Hell already, right?”

“I suppose. I mean this world _is_ really boring.”

“HA HA hahahahahahaha!” both laughed.

The Ferris eventually stopped as the couple stepped off. “Well, thanks for stopping by Sipa, it’s been a blast. Wanna do anything else orrr..”

“No, my grandpa wants me to come and practice rituals. Annoying, but how else am I gonna learn, right? How about this Thursday?”

“It’s a date.” Nerehc nodded.

“Great! See ya ‘round!” Sipa spun around and began to walk away. “Oh… and just one thing.” She turned back.

“What’s that?”

And with a zap from her wand, Nerehc shrunk down into a beetle. He skittered around mindlessly before Sipa grabbed him in her fingers, studying him closely. “Hmhmhmhm! Just wanted to see you this way. You look so cute and pathetic!” So with that, she flicked him back to the ground. “If you get stepped on, I’ll see you in Hell!” And she was gone in a puff of smoke.

After 10 minutes of mindless crawling, Nerehc grew back to normal. “Heh ha heh heh…” He could always expect her good-bye pranks. “…” Putting the humorous smile aside, he kicked on his rocket shoes and flew away from the park. Across the towering buildings of Dnalevelc, Nerehc took land a few blocks from Reilicaf’s church, walked to, and stepped inside.

He took a seat in a middle row of the dark church as Reilicaf passed by. “They say no force leads men away more than a woman’s charm. So is why the Devil doth taken that form.”

Nerehc folded his arms and sat sideways along the bench. “Yeah, except the Devil literally exists inside me and my mom. I don’t need to worry ‘bout anything like that.”

“We all got that voodoo and hoodoo inside us somewhere, Boy. What matters is whether or not, or HOW you intend to use it. As long as you allow Jesus into your heart, your soul may still be pure.”

“Yeah, but let’s be straight here, I still only believe in the ideology of your God, I don’t actually believe in Him.”

“Then He will still exist in your soul, and sooner or later, you will see Him for real. But you mustn’t ever forget that, although dark forces dwell inside you, you possess not just human blood, but _Positive_ blood, too. And I know your heart draws in only the darkness left here by all those before you. You must not feel ashamed of the light you knowingly bear, of being shunned because it is a way that no one else thinks. And if love really exists in those around you, Christian or Satanist, they will understand your feelings, too.”

“…In other words… Sipa likes me for who I am or we’re through?”

“Ah don’t generally approve of your relationship being of my position, but I can’t control you. You must decide the outcome of your relationship, as will she. …But advice kid, bring a couple Anti-Charms with you.”

“Mmm.” Nerehc nodded. Sure enough, Reilicaf knew his stuff. “Well then… I’ll be prepared next Thursday.”

**Above Earth’s atmosphere; that Thursday**

“We haven’t got much time.” Annaira announced once their ship finally arrived. “Shoot the subject and move to Nerehc before the Moonbase notices us. It’s morning, so he should still be in his home.”

The device’s terminal zoomed down to a barren part of sea, finding Hcaz tied helplessly to a raft, the merkids watching a few meters away. _“For the record, Yddam, dying for you was the LAST way I wanted to go.”_

“Dimensional coordinates locked.” announced an Nainozama scientist. “Target coordinates locked. Preparing countdown. 5… 4… 3… 2…”

On the sea below, Yddam was frantic over what fate would befall her brother. She couldn’t let this happen. “…NOOO!” She broke free of the merkids holding her and swam across the water like a dolphin, getting onto the raft.

“Yddam!”

“Quick, let’s-” She tried to untie him.

 _“ONE.”_ A powerful pink beam alit and pierced the gas clouds above, striking the raft with perfect precision. Both kids transformed into energy and flew up through the beam like a vacuum. _“AAAAA-AAAAAHHHHH!”_ The aliens watched as the twins spiraled and swirled into the vortex, vanishing at the same time it did.

“Dimensional Transportification… a success.” confirmed the cannoneer.

“Excellent!” beamed Annaira. “Now… our spies say that Nerehc lives in Ainigriv, under Sector -V’s treehouse. Begin tracking.”

The terminal zoomed around Ainigriv until it discovered the giant metal tree. Zooming closer, on the open window in the house below, was Nerehc on his bed, looking at his cellphone. “Target sighted. Preparing countdown.”

**EiznekCm Household**

_“Aroruaaa. Can you tell your brother I got him his favorite bird steak?”_ Lehcar EiznekCm called upstairs to her daughter.

“I’m a little busy, Mooom.” Arorua yelled down, lying on her bed on her front as she read a magazine. “Not talking to Nereeeehhc.” she said quietly.

_“Arorua! Will I have to come up there MYSELF??”_

She sighed. “No, Mom. I’m on it.” she called as she grudgingly got out of bed and slumped down the hall.

Inside his room, Nerehc had selected Sipa on his cellphone’s contacts, awaiting reply. He heard a knock on his door, _“Hey, Stupid, your mom’s calling you, get downstairs.”_

“Tell Mom I’m busy. I’m trying to singe an ant.”

 _“Listen, dumbass,”_ there was a flashing sound just then, and when Nerehc looked at his window, he couldn’t gaze at the blinding pink beam for long until it vanquished him, “either you come down or I-” The moment Arorua stepped in, she gasped horrendously when she found a slight puff of smoke on the spot where Nerehc was.

_“Aroruaaa. Is everything all right up theeere?”_

“Uhhhh, yes, Mother.” Arorua said worriedly. “He’s just doing homework, and I’m helping him finish.”

 _“Well, tell him to hurry up. A bird’s suffering’s only tasty if it’s nice and hot.”_ As she spoke, Arorua poked her head out Nerehc’s window and searched around for him. She leapt out the window and frantically ran around outside, desperate to find him.

**Sector -W7 Treehouse**

While skimming over incantations in her Anti-Bible, Sipa’s cellphone rang a brief second, then stopped. She picked it up and saw Nerehc tried to call her, so she aimed to call back. She held it by her ear for a possible response. _“Bee-BEE-BEEEP. The number you have dialed has been zapped to a different dimension.”_ …She would never understand these messed-up landlines.

 

**Don’t you just hate it when phones are busy. So yeah, Nerehc’s in sort of a complex relationship, you all know the deal. And Nerehc really does have a secret Ydolem is keeping for him. Next time featuring the mini-arc that takes place during the infamous Termina Arc. More crap to come.**


	11. Reflections on the Self

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sipa and her team head to the Posiverse to determine what happened to Nerehc Onu. During this time, Asia bonds with her Positive, Aisa.

**What will our poor world do without Nerehc?**

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**_

Chapter -10: Reflections on the Self

_**

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**Outside EiznekCm Home**

_“Arorua, what is TAKING you so long?!”_ Lehcar screamed, unknown that her daughter had climbed out of Nerehc’s window.

“IT’S A REALLY HARD PROBLEM, MOOOM!” Arorua continued fibbing. “Positives are a REALLY hard topic! _Okay, hopefully Nerehc’s pulling some stupid prank and he’s just hiding, just gotta do a quick search of town and-_ AAAH!!” She fell back when a cloud of smoke exploded before her.

Sipa shook the smoke away and found the girl on her rear. “Oh, hello. Is Nerehc home?”

“Well, he WAS, but,” Arorua stood and brushed off, “all of a sudden he’s just gone like… wait, you didn’t have anything to do with TELEPORTING him, did you??”

“I just GOT here, Nerehc called me a few minutes ago, but I couldn’t call back.” Sipa showed her her cellphone.

Arorua read that Nerehc called at -7:07 and it was now -7:11. “But then… where did he go?”

“To another dimension, apparently. Interesting way to hide your connection.”

“Another dimension? You mean he got pulled to the Posiverse?”

“Maybe. Unless any other dimension is readily available to us.”

“Well, what’s he doing in there?? Mom keeps yelling at me to watch him since the Halloween incident, if he’s out there causing trouble again!”

“Well, maybe he got pulled over there by force, I dunno. Look, lemme go to the Posiverse and ask around.”

“Sure, just turn right at the next block—you can’t just GO to the Posiverse without your Positive looking in the same reflection!!”

“Yah, unless you have _magic_. But until he’s back, you can use this to fill in for him.” Sipa held up a tiny bottle of blue liquid.

“Oh yeah, she’ll really take a bottle over her son.”

“No. _Look_.” So she plucked it open, spilled the liquid on the ground, and let an exact Nerehc clone sprout up from the substance. “I’ve been breeding him to use as a practice target. Named him Ner-Ner. Hmhmhmhm! Cute little guy, isn’t ‘e?”

“…” Arorua approached the wide-eyed clone and held a hand to his face. “SEAWEAVEL!” She flinched at his shout.

“Ummmm still teaching him English.”

“YORGUS-SPORG.”

“…Well, it sounds like him.” Arorua noted. “We’ll just say the math finally discombobulated his brain.”

“Or you could tell ‘em I did it.” Sipa grinned.

“Um, sure… Just hurry and find him. It’ll only keep its appearance for so long.”

“Yeah, but you can still beat ‘im around afterward. Bye-bye!” She vanished in a smoke puff.

_“ARORUAAAA! What’s going on??”_

“Uhhhh we’re on our way! And don’t be surprised if Nerehc’s a little… slow-minded. _Come on, boy!”_ She slapped her legs and stepped backward. Ner-Ner got on all fours and pounced after her.

**Sector -W7 Treehouse**

Yenmihc, Ebnog, and Ahcniea sat around the floor and watched TV, eating rice out of a bowl using spoons, ‘cause that’s how rice is eaten here. Of course, Ahcniea had to reach up and grab her own pieces since Yenmihc didn’t bother to drop a few pieces for the tiny girl. “Huff, huff, huff.” Lirpa ran in from the balcony door, sweating and panting as Ahcom sat on her shoulders. “10 laps… 65 minutes…”

“Good, can I get off now, my legs are all soggy!” whined Ahcom.

“I needed, huff, a weight.” Lirpa set her down.

“Well, change before you eat with us.” Asia told her, eating her own rice several meters above in the air. “I don’t want your sweat dripping everywhere.”

“Yes, ‘cause it’ll soooo magically evaporate to your vicinity.” Yenmihc remarked.

“Tsk.” agreed Ebnog.

“You guys oughta follow my example.” Lirpa stated, wiping herself with a towel, “‘Cause then people like Ahcom—AAAAH!” A puff of smoke blew her back.

“Oops, sorry Lirpa.” Sipa said. “If only I poofed a few millimeters backward. Alright guys,” clapped hands, “buck up, we’re going to the Posiverse.”

“No.” Yenmihc stated.

“Tsk.” agreed Ebnog.

“ _Why_?” questioned Asia.

“Because Nerehc just suddenly vanished—or at least his phone did—and I think he’s in the Posiverse so we gotta see what ‘e’s doing.”

“Just because your boyfriend is avoiding you, it’s not our deal.” Yenmihc stated.

“ _Yes_ it is, ‘cause he’s our Supreme Leader and our only means of defending against the Dictator. Come on, I have a spell to get us there and I need some back-up.”

“Sigh, why do we have to _do_ this?” Ahcniea asked.

“Because if you _don’t_ , I’ll give all six of you a month’s worth of hail-sized lice.”

“Ulp!” Asia immediately flew down. “We’re at your service!” The others eye-rolled, but complied.

Sipa’s room was the one of the treehouse they visited the least. An eerie bright red color, red paint splattered everywhere, sculptures of Adoration of the Shepherds upside-down on the ceiling, upside-down Crosses, a Satanic Circle on the floor, and many symbols and decorations that heavily supported the Dark Arts. Sipa flipped her turnable dresser mirror over to face them. “I use this to visit the Shadow Realm sometimes and borrow some of their tools. But I wonder if my dear Positive will be making a visit… _Oppotus Lookin_.” She tapped her wand on the mirror as an image projected: it looked like her room, except it was definitely more Christian-centered, and a similar girl in a yellow dress walked in. “She is. Excellent. Now let’s all hold hands, ‘cause if I go in, you all are able to follow me. Get ready…” She watched as her Positive got in front of her dresser and searched inside her drawers. “Now!” They formed a chain and leapt into the mirror as though it were liquid.

**Posiverse; Sector W7 Treehouse**

Apis pulled a golden Cross from her drawer. “Here’s my special bookmark!” She shut the drawer and walked away when-

“OOO-UUH-OW.” Seven people (‘cluding a rabbit) came tumbling out of her mirror.

She turned confusedly as the people who were clearly her friends groaned and tried to shove the others off. But a girl who looked to be her twin abruptly shoved them off faster, stomped up to Apis with a serious face, and yelled, “Imperio!”

A cloud of green gas puffed into Apis’s face, and her eyes fell blank and emotionless. The others finally recovered and brushed their selves—Asia frantically sprayed her hands and brushed her hair. “Okay, I’m going to make this girl drive me to their Moonbase. First, Asia fly out and look around for their hangar, don’t get caught.”

“Siigh.” Asia begrudgingly flew out Apis’s door and kept near the ceiling as she peeked down each corridor. Seeing the coast clear, she eventually made it to the hangar where a silver train was parked. She made her way back to her friends. “All they have is a train.”

“ _What?!_ Well, we won’t be sneaking THAT out anytime soon. We’ll have to call their Moonbase or something and ask for a R.E.P.M.A.C.S.; without them realizing it’s us. Come on.”

Asia flew down first to confirm the coast was clear before the girls made it to the living room where there sat a big TV; much nicer than the old one in their treehouse. “Hopefully Yenmihc is still the leader here; go for it.”

Yenmihc eye-rolled and marched up to the TV, seeing a large red button with ‘Moonbase’ written over. Yenmihc pressed as a voice screamed, _“Calling Kids Next Door Moonbase. Calling Kids Next Door Moonbase.”_ The screen buzzed before a chubby boy with glasses appeared. _“This is Kids Next Door Moonbase. What is your transmission, Sector W7?”_

“Yah, um… our train-or-whatever is busted, so we need a R.E.P.M.A.C.S..” Yenmihc explained with no hint of hiding her intentions.

 _“Wait, it’s a S.C.A.M.P.E.R.! S.C.A.M.P.E.R.!”_ hissed Sipa.

“I mean a S.C.A.M.P.E.R.. Whatever the hell that is.”

_“Um, okay. For what purpose?”_

“To, um… do… some non-suspicious stuff.”

_“…Uuuumm… sigh, fine, whatever, I’m too busy to talk about this. Be there momentarily.”_

So within 5 minutes, a couple of small ships hauled in a S.C.A.M.P.E.R. to the hangar as -W7 watched. Those ships landed as the pilots stepped out to greet them. “Well, here’s your S.C.A.M.P.E.R..” the female pilot said. “When do you think your ship will be… hmm… it doesn’t _look_ busted.” Indeed, the silver train looked shiny as ever.

“Well, uh, it’s going faster than it’s s’posed to.” Yenmihc replied.

“Kinda thought it was s’posed to. Mind if we do a check?” the male pilot asked.

“Er, we… IMPERIO.” Sipa puffed gas and put them under as well. “Sigh, okay, Ahcom and Ahcniea will come with me, the rest of you stay here and keep watch on these guys ‘til we come back. And try and keep your Positives from knowing what’s going on. Be back in a few.” She and the aforementioned girls, plus the hypnotized Apis, entered the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and shot off for the sky.

“Yeah, well… you guys do that, I’m gonna see what this universe passes for TV.” Yenmihc said before she and Ebnog left.

“Tsk-tsk.”

“…Well, I’m not staying in this stuffy place.” Asia said before flying to the lovely clouds above.

“…Hmph!” Lirpa folded her arms in anger and sat on the floor. “I have to do EVERYthing!”

In the living room, Yenmihc had already lain lazily on the couch and switched on the TV with the remote. While she was searching through channels, Chimney and Gonbe walked in with casual faces as the former looked at herself on the couch. “Oh, hey Me! I didn’t realize you were already here!” Chimney greeted with a grin. “What’s on today?” She sat beside herself.

“I dunno, crap? Don’t this place have anything good on?”

“I think _Boruto_ is on right now. That’s a good show!”

“Gyom-gyom!”

Chimney took the remote and changed it to said show. “…Eh. Better than _Multiple Pieces_.” Yenmihc figured.

“Yaaah. You like it!”

“…” Gonbe looked at the grumpy rabbit on its belly. “Gyom-gyom?” he greeted with a smile.

“…Tsk.” Ebnog spared a brief glance.

**Aipyks**

A flying saucer took land atop a dark Island Cloud just outside of a small town in this glum, poisoned sky. The hatch opened and Atnort Eerfnud marched out coolly. “So if Anna played her cards right, Nerehc is gone. Let’s hurry up and recruit these angels already.”

“On the contrary, _you_ will be carrying that task.” Aluben stated, waiting inside the ship.

“What?! I already tried to, I thought you were coming so you could help!”

“I’m waiting to see if you’ll still be of use to me, ergo giving you one last chance to prove your worth in persuasion. The fact that Nerehc is disposed of may give you a fighting chance, but should you expectantly fail, I’ll have to do it for you. …Just for fun.”

“Just for _fun_?! I could barely take these guys before, what’s the point of going in there again, getting my butt whacked, then _you’re_ just going to—” He was forcibly bent backward, grunting.

“I already have no use for _arguers_. Now if you can’t persuade a couple birds to your side, I’ll have to let you snap. Is that what you want?”

_“Ow… no…”_

She released. “Then show me otherwise. I need… rest.” The hatch closed.

So with no further arguments, Atnort stepped into the town, viewing the giant cloud-tree in the distance. Already, swarms of dark-winged angels soared down from the tree like warplanes, blasting machineguns. Atnort quickly dodged and blasted beams of blue lightning that became the only light in this dark place, and that brightness was easy to detect and dodge as they surrounded and stormed Atnort together. Alighting his boots with lightning, Atnort flew and zipped around in the air, clashing with Nimbi. The light from his flashes shone into the saucer’s windows, alighting Aluben’s sleeping, mistakably-dead form.

**Downtown Water 7**

The sun was always so bright over this town, it would be hard to imagine it any differently. Definitely a perfect day for a certain Nimbi child to lie on a rooftop and watch the clouds float by. They always looked so big and fluffy, Aisa dreamed of feeling their pure softness under her bare feet, lying down awash in endless dreams. A group of tiny flapping dots flapped just under the clouds, which Aisa recognized as birds. They were so lucky… being able to fly wherever they chose, bearing no weight on their bodies. What Aisa would give to feel that weightlessness on her bones. To have wings that worked. Feeling nothing but the air around her.

One more bird flew above, but this one looked noticeably different. It had four wings, not two, but those other two bore a shape like… arms? And her bottom looked not like a feathery tail, but two wide legs…

Asia never felt better air in her lungs. The sky was so clean and clear, so impossibly beautiful, she never felt so great in her life. This was truly the Heaven they could only hear about in dreams… the pure, clean world. “Ouch!” Until what felt like two gumballs struck her right cheek. After hurriedly sterilizing it, she looked to the town below. The people looked like dots from here around the white buildings, but a certain dot stood on a building, waving its tiny arms. Asia shot down down down like a rocket, strong wind pushing against her face.

Aisa’s grin had never been wider as she waved the fellow Nimbi to come down. Asia ceased her descent and flapped in place as she faced Aisa. “What?” the former asked crudely.

“I saw you flying over and, I had to speak with you! I’ve never met another Nimbi before- oh?” Aisa took a moment to further study the girl. “Wow, you look… a lot like me.”

“Pbbth, beg to DIFFER. You look FILTHY, your hair’s a mess, your dress looks like a sack, and… uck, I don’t wanna imagine the state of your feet.” _No_ way _this can be my Positive, I can’t REALLY be this dirty in this universe!_

“Hey, my family isn’t rich, all right?? Besides, I’ve grown accustomed to the earth beneath me, and this dress catches the breeze beautifully. To be honest, I’ve never imagined other Nimbi being so… _clothed_. Wouldn’t you prefer feeling the wind better than being so congested?”

“Well, I come from a region of the sky that’s a little fogged. I know plenty of people that died from the pollution there, I take extra precautions to avoid that.”

“Wow. I’m sorry about that. …Is that why your wings are black?”

“What? No, they’re supposed to be black, why would they…” She finally noticed Aisa’s wings, “White?”

“Wow, you must be from _really_ far away!” Aisa beamed. “I’ve always dreamed of meeting another Nimbi! What’s it like up in Skypia; how’s it feel, sleeping on clouds, talking to birds, _flying_?”

“Whaddyou mean? Don’t you fly?”

“Well… no.” Aisa frowned. “I’m a flightless Nimbi. My wings don’t work. I can’t tell you how much I wish I could; I’ve always wanted to fly up there and visit my homeland. …But where do you come from; are black wings a common trait?”

“Well, eh… yes, actually. But the skies in my region are barely inhabitable; the humans below are always polluting and no Nimbi can tell a normal cloud from one of smoke. A lot of them are always dropping from the sky, some have to move to the surface world, ‘course that isn’t very pleasant either, that’s why I carry these around.” She pulled out hand-sanitizer, shampoo, and general body soap from her pockets. “I keep telling my friends to do the same, but _they_ don’t listen, so who’ll be laughing when I’m the last to die?”

“Boy… to think I only had to worry about _not_ flying and just being poor. But why’ve you never thought about moving to _clear_ areas of the sky?”

Asia glanced away. “I… didn’t think there were any.” She replied quietly what was technically a fib. It was amazing she never realized she was her Negative, yet.

“Well, that’s the beauty of _having_ wings.” Aisa declared more brightly. “To be able to fly anywhere of your own accord! Search for what wonders lay out there. That’s just what you did and it led you to this place, didn’t it?”

“I guess, but…but I’m just so _accustomed_ to where I live. This clean air just feels too… good to be real.”

“But _you_ aren’t _feeling_ all the air you should, all those heavy clothes on? ? If you’re actually planning to go back where you live, I’m getting you used to my OWN version of air. First by ditching those shoes of yours.” Without hesitation, Aisa walked up and yanked off Asia’s shoes.

“HEY, don’t!” Asia crossed her legs and gripped her socks before she did anymore. “Feet attract more dirt than anywhere else, that’s why they’re disGUSTING!”

“…Okay, you _definitely_ need some work.” So Aisa began trying to pry her socks off.

**Somewhere else**

Expectedly, Lirpa abandoned her post and was going for a jog around town. If she was forced to go on this little adventure, ditched by her teammates, she would surely make use of this town and keep her body in shape.

“Hmmm… such a small town, such a dull town…” said April Goldenweek to herself, standing at a canvas on a roof. “The repetition intrigues me… so little there is new to paint. …”

“Huff, huff, huff.” But April suddenly noticed a jogger coming down the street before stopping just under her roof for a breath. There was something about the jogger April couldn’t quite put her tongue on.

“Hello there.” Lirpa looked up at April’s call. “May I ask why you’re running?”

“Why do YOU care?!” proclaimed Lirpa. “Unless YOUR friends are a bunch of JERKS who use and ABUSE you, never saying please or THANK YOU while they LAY around! I hate them ALL and just wish they would DIE, and I would never cry over them ‘cause THEY’D NEVER CRY OVER ME! Uh huh huh huh huuuuuh!” She ran down the street crying.

April’s frowning toneless face didn’t alter as she painted her canvas. In just a brief instance, her imagination sprung to life without warning, and she reached a new level of artistry. In a brief instance, she took this dull town and turned it upside-down.

…She literally painted Water 7 upside-down. “It makes for symbolism.” she said to the readers.

**Sector W7 Treehouse**

“AAAAAHHH HA HA HA!” laughed Chimney, slapping Yenmihc’s back. “OIIII what another good filler episode. And 10 more ‘til we get back to main story! But say though, that’s some crazy story you got there, Me. So you friends with a little person, an angel, a Satanist, a pro athlete, and some shorty with no discernible skills?”

“Yes… that is the brief description of them.”

“WAH-HEEEEY! You got one heck of a party, Me! Why, it sounds almost as cool as MY group!”

“Then you must know how AGONIZingly ANNOYING they must be. Ahcniea can’t help herself for JACK, and yet she’s less of a case than Ahcom who’s too lazy to open a DOOR by her shrimpy self, Lirpa is so much of a BITCH about everything, I wish she’d just CORK it already, Asia can’t go ten seconds without disinfecting her inner cells, Sipa is constantly cursing us to become Satan-lovers, and Ebnog here: he’s the most BORING rabbit you’d ever HAVE.” The rabbit spared a disinterested glance at her. “I couldn’t have been in charge of a team of nice, _normal_ people, but they’re the worst possible choices I coulda had, I hate everything about them and if I could, I would wipe my memory of their EXISTENCE.”

It was amazing to hear herself talk about her friends that way. How much work it took to withstand their company. “…WAAAAAAHHHH!” Chimney squeezed her opposite in a tearful hug. “WHERE ‘AVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIIIIIIFE? My on’nanokos are SO ANNOYING. We gotta CARRY Aeincha everywhere, Aisa’s got the _worst_ stinky feet, I’d give ANYTHING to shut Apis up about God, April, ehhh, kinda creepy, and Gonbe loves me too much. Next thing you know, we get a freakin’ GIANT girl STOMPIN’ up the place, squish squish, squish-squish, and that’ll be the highlight. OIIIII I have such annoying friends.”

“Then why do you hang out with them?”

“‘CAUSE THEY MY FRIEEEENDS!” She almost deafened Yenmihc. “And I love them ‘cause they’re fuuuuun. Why do you hang out with yours?”

“Well, someone has to. Though Sipa might as well take over that duty. I find way too many flaws to even consider them my friends, though.”

“Eh, but flaws are easy to get past, the problem is you all hate each other, you oughta fix that about them. I know what makes my friends love me, TAKING THEM ON A TRAAAAIN! You drive trains, Me?”

“No way. I prefer boats. Much calmer. And safer.”

“You kidding me?? I challenge you to show me what a boat has over trains!”

**Random steamboat somewhere**

**_BOOOOOOOOOOOM._** The gentle ocean waves washed by as Yenmihc drove the slow, steady vessel, streams of smoke emerging from the chimneys. “Naaaaah. This is boring.” Chimney said boredly.

“Gyom-gyom.” replied Gonbe with similar feelings.

**KND Moonbase**

“This is Numbuh 777 of Sector W7, requesting permission to land.” Apis spoke through the terminal.

 _“This is Numbuh 802, permission granted.”_ So the brainwashed girl flew the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. into the hangar without trouble.

“Perfect.” said Sipa. “And to make sure they don’t discover you:” She cast a spell and turned her Positive into a snail. “Ahcom, guard her. Oh, and I think your name is ‘Mocha’ in this world.” She heard Ahcom’s defiant huff a brief moment before she searched for Moonbase Office, while Ahcniea peeped around from under her hat.

The journey up Moonbase went without trouble, so clearly it wasn’t suspicious of “Apis” wearing a black dress. She recognized the door to ‘Supreme Leader’s Office’ as the same as Nerehc’s, so she knocked. _“Come in.”_ called a voice inside, so Sipa walked in casually.

“Oh, Numbuh 777, hello!” Panini Drilovsky greeted brightly from the office desk. “What can Ay do ya for?”

She was already confused. “Er, I was wondering where… _how is it spelled_ , Cheren is?”

“Oh, um, Numbuh 3621 is… on a private mission right now.” Panini replied regrettably. “And Ay… don’t know when he’ll be back.”

“Wh…Where has he gone?”

“Well, ehhh… Numbuh 6:00 was kind of kidnapped by a demon into another dimension, so eh, Cheren decided ta follow. Using GKND’s Dimension Transporter. Ay’m sorta filling in for him, so, if there’s something ya wanted to ask him…”

“What… dimension exactly?”

“Ay think he said… Termina?”

“…” Sipa looked down in deep thought. Piecing it all together… it almost made sense. “Well… never mind, then. I was only… going to ask him…”

“Siiiigh.” Panini sighed sadly. “It’s only when a boy’s been stomped by a boot so many times that he thinks he has ta be the hero fer everything. Ay mean, it’s somethin’ to admire about him, but… what if he doesn’t come back?”

“So, you’re… really loyal to him, huh?”

“Ay… guess so?” Panini quirked a brow at the way that was phrased. “He _is_ Supreme Leader… and the only boy who can stand ground against me in _Pokémon A/B_ fer 5 minutes. And Ay mean, he can put up a fight, but… goin’ to that place alone..”

“Did he want you to go with him?”

“Not exactly, he… well, he loves workin’ solo.”

“If you’re devoted to your master, you should go with him.”

Panini raised the brow higher at this wording. But still… “I should?”

“Yes. I would be honored to die for my master. Because I know that his priorities are above mine.”

“WEEEEeeeell, dyin’ for him would be a _real_ waste in strength.”

“Then you bare no loyalty.”

“‘ey, Ay’m plenty loyal to Cheren, but in my defense, he’s a baby. …So then… maybe I _shoulda_ gone with him.” She glanced away contemplatively.

“Yes…” Sipa spoke with interest, “Maybe you should.”

“…Well, um… will ya be needing anything else?”

“Oh yeah, my sector developed a fascination with dark arts and we request items regarding such.”

“…I’ll uh… see what Ay can do about that?”

“Good.” Sipa nodded. “And, don’t be surprised if we sound confused upon your delivery. Good-bye, Ini-…” She took a moment to spell it, “Panini.” So when all was all said and done, Sipa left the office and returned to the hangar, where a few guards stood around her ship as Numbuh 802 stepped out.

“Hey, um, quick question, we inspected your S.C.A.M.P.E.R., nothing suspicious, just protocol, and er, your friend ‘Mocha’ here claims to be Numbuh 7-Feet Tall, but our records don’t read any operative by that numbuh ever existing.”

“…Oh…” This caught Sipa off-guard. “Well, that isn’t actually her number, she’s sort of, eh, sensitive about her height.” Ahcniea peeped around from under her hat, slipped down Sipa’s dress, out of the bottom, and crawled around, “See, she’s actually 2-Feet, but she was hoping to be 7 feet by now, but how could _that_ happen, right?” Ahcniea climbed up 802’s backside, then up his helmet, “Lirpa- I mean, Ah… _pril_ keeps nagging her to exercise, but she’s never gonna listen, she’s ultimately hopeless in the end-”

“What- H-H-HEY, what’s happening-” Numbuh 802 started moving his arms weirdly, “H-HYAAAAH-AAAAAH!” He raised his gun and frantically began blasting his fellow guards. “Somebody stop me, my arms are outta control!”

_“WAAAH help! Help! 802’s gone berserk!”_

_“AAAAAAAHHHHHH!”_

As soon as all the other guards were clear, 802 bashed his head against a ship and knocked himself out. His helmet bounced off, revealing Ahcniea having forced two needles through his hair and scalp, before jumping off. “Where I fail in cosmetology, I exceed as a surgeon. Plain and simple.”

Sipa picked her up, “Glad we can count on you when’s important.” With that, she returned in the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and saw Ahcom cowering at the sight of the unbelievably slow, tiny, harmless Apis snail. She yelped when Sipa zapped it back to normal.

“Nnnnnmmm…” Apis began to feel really dizzy, but once again- “Imperio.” Sipa had her again. “Let’s go back. Hopefully the others haven’t blown their selves to their opposites too badly.” And the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. was gone before anyone realized. “I would die for my master… but certainly not before those under me.”

**Water 7**

“Mmm-m-m-m-m-m-m-m!” Asia shuddered in her new green dress with black diamond patterns around its bottom, her bare feet stiff against the rooftop with her toes forced up. “Why-y-y are you maki-ing me-e-e wear thi-i-i-i-is?” she stuttered as if on vibrate.

“So your skin will catch the air better once you fly.” Aisa replied, lying casually on Asia’s clothes with her right foot over her left knee. “I can only feel those goosebumps from my treehouse balcony, I’m not letting _you_ miss experiencing them firsthand. I can’t complain about you keeping sanitized where you live, but it’s time you know what real air feels like.”

“Huuu-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u…” This unusual chill on her juddering legs was unnerving.

“Oh- come on, just FLY you big baby.”

Asia gulped, and very slowly, her feet pulled a few inches off the roof. “That’s right! _Whoosh! Whoosh!_ ” Aisa flapped her arms. Seconds passed as Asia steadily hovered into the air, Aisa gazing with delight when her body shrunk into the blue.

Asia flipped horizontal, stretched her arms and legs, and began to fly. She was a decent flyer all her own, but this much chill was odd on her bare arms and legs. Her wings seemed to flap a bit better due to not poking through that thick sweater, and without her heavy clothes in general, she seemed to drift up more. She was so worried about her body catching the smog and filth of the atmosphere… but she never knew any area with clean, clear skies… never any area where she can breathe so freely.

Aisa could feel that excitement and freedom Asia was feeling, and she was glad for her. Wearing that dress which her mother got for her, Asia truly did look like Aisa. It was almost like their meeting was fated, because Asia totally resembled the Nimbi Aisa wanted to be: flying free with strong, sturdy wings, unafraid of anything. …Well, the germaphobe part not so much, but at the moment, Aisa believed she was staring at a fantasy mirror way up in the sky.

Indeed, after 20 minutes of flying, Asia wasn’t tired. This was real air she could get used to, and she loved it. Even though her feet felt frozen, this was her ideal dream sky, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. “…WAAAAAAH!” But no such sky could exist when giant freaking trains blazed by and almost splatted her like windshield fly.

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!” Yenmihc and Ebnog were flat as pancakes against the back wall.

“Tsk-tsk!”

“YAAAAAAH. THIS is how train-riding SUPPOSED to be, AAAAAYYYYYE?”

“Gyom, gyom!”

“CRAFT LIKE THESE SHOULD NEVER EXIIIIIIIIST!” Even Yenmihc never yelled this loud. She felt like her lungs would burst.

Around and around and around in circles the train went, like on a magic invisible track that required no laws of physics, so it was just lined however, because it’s funner that way. The train was aimed directly at the base of the fountain, and, after 3 more seconds, it crashed.

**Sector W7 Treehouse**

“YAAAAAAHHH!” It was uncanny how fast Chimney and Yenmihc got bandaged. “WAAA-HAAAAAA.” Limping back into the treehouse with an ecstatic and scowling expression respectively. “Oi, I hope we never have to do THAT again! WE ALMOST DIIIIEEEED!”

“Gyoooooom!”

Sipa’s S.C.A.M.P.E.R. returned, and by this time, the members of both sides rushed into the living room to view their injuries. “CHIMNEY/YENMIHC! ARE YOU OKAY/YOU AREN’T DEAD?”

“Oh, HEY on’nanokos! This be Me, and she’s my FRIEEEEEND!”

“Gyoooom!”

“. . . . . . . . .” Both teams stared with utter confusion at their opposites.

April was still painting. “I knew it was a matter of time before our shenanigans caused us to reflect upon ourselves.”

“You’ve been ignoring me ALL DAY, JUST like these guys, CAN WE PLEASE JUST GO?!” screamed Lirpa.

“Yes, um… let’s get out of here.” Sipa casually led her possessed Positive away, her friends joining. Yenmihc spitefully smacked Chimney before limping after.

“Asia, wait!” Aisa rushed up to her Negative, who was gliding rather than walking to her friends. “You, um… forgot these.” She presented her clothing and lotions.

“Oh… thanks.” Asia took them.

“You’re my… _Negative_ , aren’t you?”

“Y…Yeah.” Asia looked away.

“I thought you were. It was kind of… obvious.”

“Mmm…” She wasn’t sure where to draw on this.

“You can keep my dress. Use it to… remember me.” Aisa smiled. “Remember your time here. Remember what it felt like to breathe.”

“…” She returned the smile. “Sure I will. And I hope… you’ll get to fly, too.” She glided back toward her friends.

“And every once in a while, give your toes some breath, too!”

“Ehehehehehe, think about it.”

“Awwwww.” Aeincha frowned. “I wanted to talk to _my_ Negative.”

April finished painting her picture and turned it. “A reflection of what could be.” It was of Lirpa with tear waterfalls down her eyes, very fat, and eating mountains of treats.

In Apis’s room, the -W7 members one-by-one jumped back into the mirror and vanished. “Hmmmm… I _should_ release her, but then again I’m saving her from a Godless fate.” Sipa said as she observed the mindless Apis.

“Let her go, Sipa.” Asia ordered.

“Fine. Release.” She waved her wand and Apis shook her head dizzily. The two were already gone beyond the mirror before she recovered.

The rest of W7 ventured to the hangar where the pilot operatives finally broke out of their trance and untied themselves. “Ahh hey, you guys are here!” Chimney beamed. “Our ship is busted, help us out.”

“. . . . .” They both pulled a juice carton from their B.A.J.O.O.K.A., dropped it on the floor, and squished it before returning to their crafts and leaving.

**EiznekCm Household**

This was by far the most awkward breakfast they ever had. Arorua’s heart was racing with nervousness, but the fact their mom hadn’t noticed yet was astonishing. “So, um… Nerehc seems active this morning.” Lehcar said.

“Yes, he… really is joyous.” Arorua agreed.

“BOGGIS-booog. BOGGIS-booog.” Ner-Ner had discovered a random stage and was shaking and dancing in a really weird manner, flailing his arms and side-stepping in place. Also, his arms glitched about in a poorly animated fashion. “ _Boog. Boog boog boog-boog-boog, boog. Boog. Boog. Boog, boog boog boog-boog-boog. Boog. Boog. Boog._ Hogs-. MogisimOOOOGUS, hogs. a. spogs. Hogs. HogisimOOOOGUS. Hog: gus: spog. Buuk bawk bok BAAAAWK BOK. Bokaga-boooog-bok, bok. Bok. Bok. BOOOOOK-bok. Bawk. Boookaga-gakaga-gaKA: gagagakaaaaga. Whadon DEARTH: dis. ALL O’ DISH: HOGGUS-SPAAAAWK.”

**_Bum. Dun-DUN._ **

**Vast jungle; Termina Dimension**

The stars were beautiful above this endless jungle, the critters of the night making their rounds and sounds. Things were in harmony here, and nothing could disturb. But one of those stars mysteriously flashed, and began to shoot down. Zooming a bit closer, this star was Nerehc, unconscious from the sudden flash of light that struck him. Flying straight like a meteor at an angle, he was aimed directly for a house within the shrubs. He crashed and destroyed its front, so Cleveland Brown began his storyly slide. “No no no no NO NO!” Crash. “Darn it! How many meteor-dives from space can one kid do?!”

For several hours did Nerehc lay in his crater. Like the tree that fell in the forest, but no one was around to hear. …Except Cleveland, but that’s how fast he moves. By the time his head began to stir, he felt very numb and his vision was blurry. He felt like he was imagining the caws, cricks, and croaks in the jungle air, and the cracking of twigs under a pair of feet, shuffling of shrubs drawing closer. He thought he was imagining the upside-down shadow approaching him. _“You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?”_

 

**Wow, I wonder what person used that line before? RAISE YOUR HANDS, _MAJORA_ FANS! *me!* Sooo Sector W7 before _W7_ , where they actually meet their Negatives. So next time, some Termina exploration, even though we know what Nerehc did, the others did stuff, too. So buh-bye.**


	12. Connected by Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hcaz and Yddam try to find a way back home in a jungle of intelligent apes. Drama ensues between the two siblings.

**Wordsworth.**

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Chapter -9: Connected by Fate

_**

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**Termina; Jungle of the Apes**

It was a few minutes before Nerehc recovered completely. Rolling onto his knees so this being was right-side-up, he was sporting a lovely grin and holding a hand out to Nerehc, eyes closed upward and his brows slanted in a ‘sad’ fashion. He had shiny orange hair and a sleek purple gown, purple shoes with toe-ends slanted up, and a huge backpack with so many masks, Nerehc imagined his back snapping. His instincts told him not to take his hand, so Nerehc stood on his own and brushed himself off.

The man kept his hand extended and kept that grinning face like it was stuck. He spoke as though he was on the verge of tears. “The moment Cheren arrived here, I knew it would not be long ‘til you did the same. You were delayed a while.”

Nerehc instantly took interest by his words. “Whaddyou mean Cheren?”

“Why… a very dear friend of his was taken to this very world… by one dear friend of mine. And like me, his only wish is to save that friend from her sorrow.” For a few seconds, his grin was frowning, hands on his chest. “But a person with light in their heart cannot go without his darkness. So he’s taken you with him.”

“He took ME with him?!”

“Well, not intentionally.” Grinned again. “But does one ever wish to take their bad side with them? Positives and Negatives are one in the same, Child. One must go where the other has gone. It’s what this, and all universes bear: an opposite side to balance them out. Why… can you imagine how torn Cheren would’ve become if you hadn’t come? Just how he and Panini entered the Minish Portal.”

“The…THE MINISH PORTAL?! You mean THAT was his fault, TOO?!”

“No, it was a fault of _both_ of you. An important factor decides the outcome of your lives: the Coincidence Factor. If a Positive jumps off a cliff, the Negative will choke on a cookie. And one can never exist without the other in separate dimensions. Except the Avatar… all beings are _bound_ by their Negative, and the Negative their Positive. It’s so AMAZING what you and Cheren have in COMMON!” Indeed, tears were welling up in his eyes.

“So because of Cheren’s goody-gutsy desire to be the hero, my life’s in DANGER?! I am NOT letting him get away with that!”

“No, you must not blame him!” the Mask Man frowned and spoke panickingly. “Fates are decided for both of you. You cannot deride Cheren of his… and he cannot derail you from yours. Believe that coincidence is fate… and let it draw you closer.”

“Yeah, I’ll draw him closer, all right. Draw him closer to my sword if he don’t get us the fuck back home!!”

“You must follow your own path.” spoke the Mask Man sadly. “I cannot derail you, either.”

“But what about you? If you know so much, don’t you ever get worried of YOUR Negative?”

“Why… my species is one without Negatives.” His grin returned. “We’ve always had somebody else to balance us out. Why, my special friend for instance, could _never_ have survived without me.”

Looking to the sky, he saw himself and his special friend drifting through darkness, as shadowed bodies that bore no resemblance to how he looked now. _“Our love conquered all in that world… even that **terrifying** power._

“You must know that kind of love with Cheren.”

“Love Cheren? Pleach. What kind of power would terrify me to do THAT?”

“A most terrifying power of all… you see.” His open eyes sparkled like stars. “Even more terrifying than that war between Light and Darkness. I should happily tell you what it is… if you manage to find a way back to your world.”

“Umm… okay.”

“Believe in the bond you share with Cheren. Believe in your strengths… believe…” And he began to walk away into the forest. “Oh… and return this to him, too.” He dropped a bow-and-arrow onto the ground before fading within the shrubs.

Believe in the bond he bears with Cheren… yeah… he would… he believed it would get one of them the ***k injured. Let’s see what he could do about that.

**Same jungle; Negaverse**

And just in time, Yddam and Hcaz Yhprum made their land after swirling in an endless pink tunnel. They stood around and waited for the dizziness to clear before they could see they were in a jungle. “Hoo… Well, it’s a good thing we didn’t die, right?” Yddam smiled sheepishly.

“Hmph.” Hcaz was already trudging through the shrubs.

“Heeeey!” Yddam hurried after him. “The least you can do is thank me for trying to save you!”

“And I should thank you for getting our butts caught to begin with. Who knows WHAT kind of dimension this is. And naturally our Positives were transported here by some means too, so even THEY’RE in danger.”

“Well—then we should work together to find Nerehc, shouldn’t we?”

“If anyone’s bringing Nerehc back safely, it’ll be me, it wouldn’t make any difference if you stayed here.”

“Uh!” Yddam stopped for a minute. “Is that what you’re gonna tell Mom and Dad?!” She ran back after.

“I’ll tell them you were eaten by wild gorillas. That’d be you.”

“How can you say all this, don’t you worry about me at all?”

 _“I wish I didn’t…”_ he mumbled to himself.

They stopped at what appeared to be a vine-covered wall with a ladder leading up. “This doesn’t look natural… maybe there’s civilization nearby, let’s go up.” Hcaz climbed up first, with Yddam following a few spaces behind.

It stretched up higher than they could tell under this night, and this wall was actually one side of a very huge tree, an excellent view of the jungle, which looked beautiful under the starry sky. Some faint, classy music sounded above them, growing louder by the time they were at the top. After climbing onto a ground around this tree, what they saw astonished them: apes in charming tuxes and clothing were everywhere, walking on two legs, talking, and behaving like civilized people. Not torches, but electrical lanterns kept this place alight, and to the many other giant trees in the distance, lights were alit and there was activity going on. There were curtained tables where they sat and drank tea, reading newspapers, and to cross to other trees, they could ride platforms moving back-and-forth on electric wires.

A tall, brown gorilla approached them and spoke with a British accent. “Ahh, good evening, children, welcome to High Jungle, the most sophisticated region in Acirfa, home of the most intelligent apes on Earth. Here, we welcome humans of all age and height, as we are all brethren under the same deity. Please explore our home as you see fit, and do watch your footing, we are quite a good meters over the ground.”

“Well, I’m glad we landed someplace respectable. Did any other humans come by by any chance?” asked Hcaz.

“Not through here, no, but do see the other trees if it pleases you.”

“All right, then… sure to find something useful around here.”

After waiting in a line of apes, Hcaz stepped onto one of the moving platforms to what seemed like the largest tree in the jungle. After realizing he was on by himself, he yelled to Yddam, “Finally decided to get lost?” as she had stayed behind.

“Er- these things look dangerous!”

“Relax, you’re lighter than a feather compared to all these guys.” He had gotten a reasonable distance.

A few more platforms came around, but Yddam was always worried one would fall, or she would mess up her timing and slip and fall. “I SAY, carry along, Old Bean!” An ape, tired of waiting, shoved her onto a platform before joining her. She grabbed the thin wire supporting the lift in both hands, shuddering. The gray gorilla was so big, it left Yddam little room, and they were so high up, she kept her feet glued to the surface. Eventually, she made it to the ledge and jumped off with a skip of the heart, then stood and waited for it to settle down. After wandering around confusedly, a gorilla told her with a ‘butler’ tone, “Mmm, your fellow _Homo sapiens_ is in there, Miss.” He pointed to the entrance to the big tree, so she nodded thanks and entered.

This huge tree was very high-tech inside compared to outside, and the sound of active machinery contrasted the peaceful, calming music outside. A huge, dark gorilla in a white labcoat was burning a blowtorch into the wires of some machine that stretched down the tree’s shaft. “I say, Nazrat Old Banana, are the internal workings hunky-dory down the bottom levels?”

“Exceedingly hunky-dory, Father.” replied Nazrat, a charming _human_ man with short brown hair, white labcoat, and not the most muscular build. “I say, we’re going to have a bully good time completing this. Rightio, gents?”

“Yes, bully!” _“Bully!”_ “Bully.” “BULLYYYY.” “Bully!” a bunch of apes sang around the lab.

“Can’t imagine what Niatirb is like.” Hcaz mumbled as he entered. “Helloooo? Who’s in charge here?”

“I say, that’d be me, Old Acorn.” The large gorilla said as he raised his protective mask and approached. “And darest me, welcome to our humble home, you may call me Kahcrek.” He also spoke with a high British accent—he sounded like Triple Extra Large.

“Professor Kahcrek, this might sound crazy, but I got blown here from another dimension, and we-”

“NO, not at all, that means you are living proof of what we are trying to accomplish!” Kahcrek grinned eagerly and shook Hcaz’s hand in both of his. “We have always believed other dimensions exist beyond our own, ‘tis why we are constructing a very device to warp between dimensions at will!” He directed to the huge machine behind him. “With this, we may be able to see worlds BEYOND the fabric of space and time, and venture to them! Why, you MUST tell me what kind of world you inhabit!”

“Well, it’s… got a lot less intelligent apes from what I know.”

“I dare say, you mean there is a whole world where apes have fallen mindless like our dear friend, Retceps?” He indicated a white monkey that was Hcaz’s height, who-

“Ooo-ooo OOH! OOH! OOOOOHH!” appeared less well-mannered, wearing nothing except a curious metal helmet.

“He’s been experimenting with headwear to download the intelligence of creatures and—poor fellow—became a little wrong in the head after slipping and falling into it. I sincerely hope we may be able to pin him down for medication, soon.”

“Okay, well… we may need to use your machine when it’s finished. Also, a friend of mine also came to this world, and I dunno where he landed.”

“Well, I do not know how to help you locate him, but we would be delighted to let you borrow one of our 500 mile-per-hour aircraft for any sort of world-scouring you see fit. Uhhhh unfortunately our flight decks are closed for the night, so if waiting ‘til morning isn’t too much of a hassle for you..”

“No… it’s not. Wherever Nerehc is, I’m sure he can survive. I haven’t eaten since I got captured, have any restaurants around here?”

“Yes, the next tree over actually, we possess the richest collection of cuisine, do help yourself.”

“Hope it’s good as the lunch at school.” So with eager curiosity, Hcaz exited the lab, passing Yddam by the entrance. She waited a few seconds to see if he’d acknowledge her, but once he was on the transport lifts, Yddam followed.

**Eporue; Ailivinrac**

“WAAAAAH!” Ikuyim Latsyrc came falling out of the sky like many before her, crashing on the ground. “Who-oa he-e-e-ey!” She recovered quickly with her perky spirit. “THAT was sure outta nowhere! Talk about a sensitive spacebender!”

_Moments ago, she was in her own world, going for a joyful walk around town. She stopped and perked when she noticed someone peculiar: a tall, teenage girl with ocean-blue hair leaned beside a restaurant wall, smoking. Ikuyim approached her with a smile, “Hi there! You have really weird hair! Are you from around here?”_

_The teen blew a smoke. “Nah, just visiting. What’s it to you?”_

_“I’m only curious! What’s your name?”_

_“Name’s Ydnew. I’m a spacebender. You goin’ somewhere with this or what?”_

_“Wow, a spacebender! I’ve never met one before! Are you a great one?”_

_“Great enough at buildin’ me a bod, yeah.”_

_“What’s that mean?”_

_“I’m 10 years old, but I wanted ta get into older teen parties, so I used my powers to stretch my body. Gave myself some cans, too. See?” She indicated the large breasts on her chest._

_“Holy wow! I never woulda guessed! But why would you expand yourself? I’m sure you were pretty just the way you were!”_

_“‘Course I was pretty, not as pretty as THOSE girls though.” She pointed to three teenage girls at a nearby table, very pretty with slim, perky bodies. “Now I’m hittin’ the big time, goin’ to all the neat clubs, and me and this boy are totally spending a night together.”_

_“But… you’re only 10 years old. And you’re smoking, even.”_

_“Yeah, so what?”_

_“You’re way too young to be doing this sorta stuff! You have your whole life ahead of you! I can’t just let you ruin yourself like that.”_

_“You ain’t my MOM, what’s this got to do with you?”_

_“I’m sorry, but I won’t sleep well knowing you’re doing stuff you shouldn’t. So I’m gonna teach to live in the now, starting right-”_

_With a snap of her fingers, Ydnew zapped Ikuyim away. “Mmm… wonder where I just sent her. Don’t really care. Think I’ll hit the strip club, could use some extra money.” So with that, she warped._

“Hmmm… Well, I hope she does all right on her own. I wonder where I ended up? It doesn’t look very friendly..”

Indeed, it didn’t. It was daytime, a sad cloudy sky over a near-dead amusement park. Tents were very old and torn, the roller coaster was dangling from its broken tracks, and the Ferris wheel was off its perch, rolling back and forth glumly. “Awww, woe is me, woe is me…” Ikuyim looked to a short man in blue clothing, a round nose, and a fluffy black mustache with sad eyes above. He spoke in an Irish accent, “My carnival’s about to go under. We’ve had nary a customer in years, Ay’m only tortured with the burden of runnin’ this place, day after day after day hopelessly. And fer what? A failed family legacy and unsatisfactory pay. Ay-ay-ay… how glad Ay’ll be when it’s all gone.”

Ikuyim approached him. “Excuse me, Sir? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s my park, Dear Lassie. No one’s wanted to come in over 30 years. Too many rides broke down… because we’ve never had the money for maintenance… and even less so now. The whole place started to decay… and look what it is now. The entire legacy of the Sloucher Family… this is the end.”

“That’s too bad.” Ikuyim frowned. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Not unless you have -6 million cnarfs worth of repairs and a decent carnival. I suppose all those rich types who live in Aksoloh might have a few lying around.”

“Aksoloh? Where’s that?”

“Thousands of miles to the North Pole. All those icebenders living the good life in fancy ice-mansions, living off the mountains of priceless crystal growing around… if only my body was built for Winter, I would so set up carnival there.”

“Hmmm… well, maybe I can go to Aksoloh and get some of their crystal.”

“Don’t trouble yourself Miss, this carnival isn’t worth all the effort. You probably have so much to live for than destroy yourself doing this.”

“All I have to live for is what life throws!” beamed Ikuyim. “And if it’s an adventure, so be it! I’ll gladly go up to Aksoloh for you!”

“Hoooh… you’re far too sweet, Dearest. The youth of today… enlightens me.”

“I’m renting me a plane and flying down to Aksoloh ASAP! Don’t worry! Your park’ll be saved, yet!” And she joyously skipped across the ruins.

**Jungle of the Apes; Fancy Banana**

Hcaz and Yddam arrived at the giant tree labeled ‘Fancy Banana’, in which the entrance was unfortunately on a higher point. They could easily get there with a few ladders, but looking to a lower ledge, Yddam was catching her breath. “Don’t tell me you’re tired _again_.” He stated.

“I’ve been through a lot this week, of course I’m tired!!”

“Well, it’s only gonna build on from here on out.” So he proceeded ahead again.

But to Yddam’s relief, a brown female gorilla lifted her onto her back. “It’s okay, Li’l Cub, I’ll help ya up some.” Yddam smiled in gratitude as the ape carried her up the rest of the way, afterwards climbing down the ladder into the restaurant. Hcaz was waiting at the entrance line when the gorilla set Yddam beside him. “You ought to be more respectful to her, Dear.” She scolded before climbing back out.

 _“I’ll give her some respect, you dumb…”_ After the ones before them were seated, a monkey waiter came to them.

“Good day, Lady and Gent, welcome to the Fancy Banana, shall that be table for two?”

“ONE.” Hcaz stated sternly.

“Well, I’LL have one, too!!” Yddam shouted.

“Ehhh… rightio, then.” So the waiter led them to two tables beside each other, where both twins sat back-to-back. “Please take a moment to view our menu.” He left them both menus before walking away.

“…” Yddam turned in her seat to Hcaz after a few minutes, “Hcaz, why are we always fighting like this? I wanna help find Nerehc too, I tried to help you, why are you always so mean to me? How come you never help me?”

“…” Hcaz turned to her resentfully, “Why do you need _me_ to help when everyone else does it for you?”

“Whaddyou mean?”

“Ever since we were kids, you’ve been the same. Whiny little Yddam, bitch nag moan, that’s all you did, never did anything for yourself. When we were two and learning how to walk, I helped myself up and fell on my face attempt after attempt until I did it right, but what were Mom and Dad doing? Moving little Baby Yddam’s feet FOR her, kept her on all two ‘til she could go it on her own, never gave little _Hcaz_ praise for learning himself. DNK Training, slip slap fall on the ice, over and over, can’t hold onto a gun when it shoots, can’t send fists or kicks 2 inches forward, can’t keep hands on the damn slippery virtual ship controls. No, but let’s have Helpy Eizus stand behind and hold the gun for you, let’s have Ytram stand like a stick and take _fake_ punches from you, or how ‘bout Retep man your station and do it in your namesake, ALL THE WHILE lonely Hcaz is shootin’ the robots, getting bloody noses, memorizing EVERY little control ALL by his lonesome. In school, ‘Oh this math is so hard, I don’t know Hsilgne, does this potion go on this rock?’, that’s okay let’s let Hcaz waste hours of his life figuring it out while POOR LITTLE Yddam gets EVERY smartass in the school ON HER SIDE. You _passed_ training, you _passed_ 3rd grade with PERFECT marks, well you know what Yddam, you’re NOT perfect. You’re a bitchy, whiny, good-for-nothing tramp who’ll never learn how to hold a spoon herself, and I hope you get kidnapped by criminals so they can rob a bank without flaws, and then GUT you when they realize you’ve been a giant fraud.”

“…Oh… Hcaz, I had no idea. I didn’t _mean_ to act like-”

“You know what Yddam, YOU DID. You’re the little baby that never stopped crying, you refuse to use your _normal_ body ‘til you get superpowers, I’ve got absolutely no reason to show sympathy for you. Nor do you have any reason to complain.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, you better be.”

“I say, there’s no reason to sound so gruff to her.” a female ape stated from another table. “She is only trying her best. As your brother, you must try to help her, too.”

“Mm, yes, I say.” agreed a male ape, and murmurs of agreement sounded all throughout the restaurant.

“No- you know what, fine, you’re all gonna support her too?, well why don’t YOU all adopt her? Carry her up trees and ladders her whole life, letting your other kids do it themselves, show her forever and ever how to make the perfect banana stew and let your kids go hungry learning to do it, ‘cause then THEY’LL know where I’m coming from. And for your information, I DO help Yddam, you whined about me never helping you?” he said to his sister, “Well, I DO. I saved you from Trepur, I TRIED to save you from the damn merkids, you’re still just a sad little bitch who’s as ignorant to my existence and my hard work as anyone. Sigh, forget eating.” He abandoned his table and stomped toward the exit. “I’m finding someplace to sleep.”

It was much quieter outside the restaurant, and Hcaz enjoyed the peace and calmness of the night. He meant every word he said to Yddam, and frankly he wasn’t sorry. Now he would just let the results play out. …But something was disturbing the peace, it seemed. In the central tree where the laboratory was, apes were screaming and panicking. Hcaz hurriedly rushed there to see what was wrong, not bothering to ride the lifts and running across the bars that they moved along.

He made it to the tree and rushed into the lab. Kahcrek and Nazrat were on the floor, and standing over them were seven brown monkeys. “Hey, what’s going on here?!” Hcaz shouted.

The apes whipped around and faced him with evil looks. “Hoo-hoo, what’s wrong, indeed?” asked the gorilla in the blue tie.

“We’re the Gnok Family.” grinned the chimpanzee with the yellow hat and shirt evilly. “Yddid Gnok.”

“Ynit.” A slim teenage girl with a blonde ponytail and red pants.

“Yknal.” An orangutan with a paper-like body.

“Yknuhc.” A slim gorilla with an afro and sleek blue robes.

“Eixid.” A girl with blonde pigtails and purple shirt and hat.

“Yknuf. Ook-ook.” An ape in a small jeep.

“And Yeknod.” said the gorilla with the tie.

“I say, get away from here, Lad!” Kahcrek exclaimed. “These are rowdy hooligans who terrorize us on regular occasions and they won’t stop ‘til they’ve taken what they desire!”

“That’s right. And today, we’ve a unique fascination with some humans that wandered mindlessly into the jungle.” Yeknod said evilly. “We’ve always wanted some new toys. Please, do come with us, and we promise not to… sever too many body parts.”

“Hmph… unfortunately… I’ve never been too into action figures.” Hcaz rolled forward and swung a kick at Yddid, who flew back, whipped on a barrel backpack, and extracted drills from it as he burrowed beneath. He watched as Ynit grew three times her size, stomping her sandaled feet around to crush the boy, who dodged around, ran up her legs, and leapt to kick her left eye. Eixid’s pigtails stretched her up to the ceiling as she attempted to bind Hcaz in its strands, wrapping his wrist as he grabbed the hair in his free hand and pulled her down, only for Eixid to land a kick and send him back.

Kahcrek and Nazrat both acquired machineguns and roared as they started blasting the Gnoks, but Yknuf drove forward in his jeep and leaped out to start bashing them with his bo staff, swiftly kicking their weapons away, getting Kahcrek in his hands and Nazrat in his legs, and spinning like a wheel ‘til they were dizzy. Hcaz tried to punch Yknal, but his paper-thin body made this impossible, and he was blown back when Yddid popped up from below, followed by Yeknod pinning him underneath.

Yddam had just arrived, and watched Hcaz’s hopeless efforts against the fiercesome apes. She looked to the ceiling and noticed the emergency sprinklers. Yddam pulled off her right shoe and chucked it at Yknuf. “You think you’re so tough, why don’t you bring that jeep over here? !” Enraged, the ape hopped in his car and sped over, Yddam diving aside while skipping a heartbeat, the jeep’s hood smashing against the wall. Yddam rushed over to Kahcrek and Nazrat, but slowed when a tiny, 3-inch-tall monkey with a sleek robe got in her path: it was Yknuhc, who before looked much taller.

But he was very swift as Yddam tried to get around, blocking her path, and soon found the tiny gorilla going up her right pants. “Hey-Hey, ahahahahaha, get ou-u-u-ut!” He tickled her all around, ‘til she was on the ground.

“Yknuhc likes the ladies,” clapped Yddid smirking, “likes ‘em when they’re down.”

“Hahahahahaha, quick!” Kahcrek and Nazrat looked questionably. “Sh-Shoo-oo-oot the, sp-sp-sp-SPRINKLERS!”

The two looked to the faucets above. Exchanging a glance, both grabbed a machinegun and blasted all around the ceiling, ‘til the resulted smoke activated the system and rained water everywhere. “I say, we don’t quite enjoy liquid,” Yeknod mentioned, “but this is tolerable.”

“Nnn!” Hcaz kicked the ape off and rolled forward to grab Eixid’s legs as she stretched up high, grabbing both pigtails and yanking them forcefully as she wobbled out of control, due to the rising wetness. He kicked over to Ynit’s giant face, but the girl whipped her head around and whacked him against the wall with her ponytail. He recovered and saw that Yknal was shriveling helplessly due to the water, and proceeded to hop over and stomp him to the floor. Yddid flew over with drills aimed, and leapt overhead to dodge, then ran as he came back.

“Ahahahahahahahaha!” Yddam still had a monkey on her back. Then her belly, then under her arms, then under her knees, then on her hip. “St-Sto-o-o-o-op i-i-i-it! I-…am-…”

But the sogginess of her clothes impeded his speed, and once Yknuhc was behind her left shoulder, she flopped up and smashed him against the floor, then pulled and threw the monkey out as he grew back. She recovered and ran to get her discarded shoe, then once firmly on both feet, the entire floor a puddle, she caught her breath and closed her eyes. “Fishman KARATE!” Spinning at breakneck speed, a cyclone of water appeared around her as she lunged a gush at Yddid’s drills and destroyed them, then at Yeknod’s face, then leapt and performed countless flips in the air before slamming a watery fist at Ynit’s giant foot, the teen hopping on the other before slipping and banging her head against the machine.

Yddam breakdanced on the ground and flew a rounding gush of water at Yknuf’s side, then a flat slip of water at Eixid’s pigtails to slice them so she fell. Yeknod recovered and glared at her once again, so Yddam rested and performed fluent, nimble poses. Yeknod lunged at her ready to smash her bones, so Yddam jabbed her fingers forward quick like a bullet against his chest…

Hcaz beat her to the punch and aerial-punched Yeknod dead in the face, sending him backward. “I don’t think you were gonna beat ‘im.” he told her honestly.

Ynit and Yknuhc picked Yeknod up as Yddid said, “Let’s book it!” before they all made an escape from the lab.

Eventually, the sprinkles came to a stop, and Hcaz and Yddam went outside to squeeze their clothes dry. “When did you learn _Fishman_ Karate?”

“When I was kidnapped, I asked one of the guards to lend me a book ‘cause I was bored. It wasn’t really that hard to figure out, it sorta just… came to me.” She grinned sheepishly.

“Hm… so you’re not totally helpless after all.” Hcaz admitted. “But that doesn’t mean-”

“I know.” Yddam really didn’t wanna hear any of that again. “I…I know I can’t make any of it up to you, Hcaz… but you don’t have to help me with anything if you don’t want to. But I still want to help you save Nerehc. So… can we not hate each other until we’ve found him?”

“…Siiigh… all right.” Yddam gave a light smile. “Now let’s find the Hotel Tree… think one ape said it was over…”

**The next morning**

After their well-earned night’s sleep, the duo borrowed an airship from the docking facility and zoomed across the jungle. “These ground-scanners sure are state-of-the-art.” Hcaz observed. “If Nerehc’s hiding anywhere around here, we can’t miss him. Get comfy, Yddam… we might just be here awhile.”

**Posiverse; Tortuga Island**

Pirates and drunken, hairy men were swinging bottles of rum all around the land as accordion music played in the distance, fists flying and jaws being dented all around as Captain Slag and Rusty Pete guided Nerehc into the run-down village. Oh wait, you probably have no idea how the hell Nerehc got shanghaied by pirates. In actuality, these are just little copied-and-pasted bits of a story that was already told, and would take up too much unnecessary room to paste them all. All you need to know here is Nerehc met some pirates in the jungle, and commissioned them in hunting down Cheren. A few days later, we’re here on Tortuga.

“Well, here ye be, boy. Tartuga Oiland, land where ALL sea-lovers and deck-moppers come ta drink and partay ‘til the noon is nigh.” Captain Slag looked down at the boy and asked, “Now, what be yer reason fer us havin’ sailed ya to these shores, boy?”

“There’re kids that live here, right? I’m just looking for someone who can play me a good theme song.” Nerehc stated as he skimmed the raggedy town. He looked to the corner of an open area and saw a familiar Spanish child strumming a Mexican guitar as he sat on a box, attracting many listeners who dropped coins into his sombrero. Nerehc smirked as he skied over and pushed the people out of the way to get in front of the child. “Do I… know you?”

The Spanish child looked confused and spoke “Yo nunca he visto antes, Señor.”

“I guess not.” Nerehc frowned. Of course, in reality, Nerehc knew the real Pablo: he was a boy from Posiverse Miracle City, who by some means got into the Negaverse with his family. Since things weren’t so good where they lived, they hoped the Negaverse version of either Miracle City or America would be much better, and it was. Pablo attended Nerehc’s school as the only Positive, and Nerehc made him his henchman. But this Pablo didn’t seem to have a clue about… anything. “But that guitar of yours, eh, Pablo, how good are you?” He pointed at the guitar.

“Muy bueno!” he exclaimed as he strummed a familiar tune to Nerehc’s ears (Dark Pit’s Theme).

The Negative nodded his head to the music and said, “Yeah, yeeah, VERY good! Now, tell me something, Pablo: do you seek adventure away from this penniless town? A life away from all the sorrows and hardships and desire to see the outside world, in exchange for a little work? As rightful Prince of the Demon Realm, I would gladly pull you away from this town of poverty if you would submit to my rule and play that catchy little tune for me whenever the need arises.”

The boy barely understood a word from Nerehc’s mouth. “…Qué?”

Nerehc face-palmed and mustered all the Spanish he could comprehend. “Would you… be mi amigo… por favor?”

“Ohh! Sí!” he nodded excitedly.

“Sweet, I got a minion!” he exclaimed as Captain Slag and Pete approached him. “Now, the first order of business is to teach you English. WHICH, I will leave Rusty Pete to that.”

“You c’n count on me, Cap’n!” Pete exclaimed with a hiccup and salute.

“Arr, so ya got yer wee guitar strummer. Now, what be the next order of business, _Cap’n_?” Slag asked with a tone of smugness.

“Now, we’re going after Cheren. Any idea where he might be?”

“Uhh, I come barin’ the news, squire.” a pirate spoke as he suddenly ran up to them. “It seems the fleet of wee munchkins be stormin’ up a brigade up in northern Holoska.”

“Then that’s where Cherry is goin’ next.” Nerehc smirked. “Chart a course for Holoska, Slag, we’re going ice-fishing.”

“Arr, ye expect us to charge a whole fleet of whiny munchkins unscathed, scallywag?”

“Leave the whiny brats to _me_ , Slag.” Nerehc’s eyes remained cool and sharp behind his sunglasses as Pablo strummed a quick, dramatic tune with his guitar.

**Nega-Sector W7 Treehouse**

Ininap shuddered at the sight of Sipa’s room. So scary… so deadly… she wondered how one could sleep in such a room. But, what Sipa told her… it was… “A-Are you really sure th-that’s what happened?…”

“Yes.” replied Sipa. “Nerehc’s been warped to another dimension. Unless he’s back soon, the Dictator’s sure to attack us.”

“A-A-And, this is the only way?”

“If my faith is strong enough, this ritual will send you to the very world where he lies. You will be able to bring him back. …Unless you are not loyal enough?”

“N-NO!” She spoke more determinedly. “Ah-I am loyal. To Nerehc more than anything. …Ay’ll do this.”

“Okay… stand in the circle.”

With incredible fear, Ininap stepped into the middle of the Satanic Circle. Sipa ignited a brimming violet flame in a cup before her, sitting on her knees. She raised a knife high and pierced it through her left hand. “AAAAAAHH!” The room mysteriously fell darker. “O King of the Devils, Satan-sama, Emperor of the Dark Realm, hear that which I desire.” She held up some tiny strands of hair. “Send the underling before me to where the source of this essence lies. Let her never to return until she has carried out her duty. O King of Devils, Satan-sama, I beseech you: let part of my soul be your fill, should that whom I love return safely to me!” She threw the hair into the flame as they exploded into a column that lit the room purple.

Ininap began to shudder greater than ever, watching as odd magical shapes and creatures made of colorful lines soared everywhere, surrounding Sipa as her body furiously twitched. Her very head was forced downward, and when it shot up, Inap grew more terrified at Sipa’s brown-yellow eyes surrounded by black. _**“It’s time.”**_

 _“Bom bom bom bom bom bom bom bom, bom bom bom bom…”_ Sipa’s room had become a purple dimension where floating masks and demons danced, growing closer to Ininap as their eerie eyes fixed on her.

_**“Are you reeeeady-”** _

_“ARE YOU REEAAAADY?”_

_**“Are you: REEEEAAADY.”** _

They brought forth a burner which bore the Satanic Circle’s design.

_**“Transportation Central-”** _

_“TRANSPORTATION CENTRAL.”_ They pulled off Ininap’s shirt.

_**“Transportation Central-”** _

_“TRANSPORTATION CENTRAL.”_ Inap screamed when they forced the burner against her back and burned the circle into her flesh. The entire world started spinning, everything turned blurry, until Ininap fell into that endless golden vortex.

 _“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”_ Ininap swirled and swirled into the depths, and all of the demons and magic swirled after her like a dimensional toilet.

Sipa closed her mouth to the swirling portal inside, swallowing it all in one gulp before she grinned with malice.

 

**Happy anniversary to _Operation: MASKED_. Well, this week is exam week, so expect my time to be wasted. Until next time.**


	13. The Positiveless Negative

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ikuyim Latsyrc lands in Aksoloh and ventures off to find Clear Nature Crystals. Meanwhile, Ininap lands in the Land of Gases and meets Sector LG.

**I hate exams…**

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Chapter -8: The Positiveless Negative

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**Land of Gases; Exposed Twig Village**

“AAAAAHHH!” The spiraling, blinding yellow that became Ininap’s vision morphed into an indigo sky in a flash, and she collided with the ground. Already she found herself surrounded by buildings, keeping the city alit by their lights, Japanese signs on them, and passerby staring at her with confusion. “Eh, he he, he…” Having these many stare at her already made her uncomfortable.

A fast _whoosh_ sound came behind her as someone appeared on the pavement, “You’re not from around here. Identify yourself.”

Ininap turned to the woman with terror. She looked very strict with serious; oddly pale white eyes, and wore a night-blue jumpsuit under a green vest. She had onyx-blue long hair and wore a headband with a swirly leaf symbol. “Uhhhh, I-I, Ay’m sort of, eh, from far away..”

“I told you to identify yourself!”

“I-I-I-Ininap Yksvolird, o-of Dnalevelc, Ainigriv, Ay…”

“Is that another village? Were you sent here on a mission??”

“N-No! Ay mean yes, Ay mean… _nnnnn_ , Ay just wanna find Nerehc!” She balled up and shuddered fearfully.

The woman stared at her fixedly. “…Well, you don’t seem to have any Chakra flow. Still, before I can let you walk around freely, I should take you in for question-” But unfortunately, an explosion went off a few buildings away to distract her.

“HNNAAAA HA HAAAAA!” laughed a dark-haired girl with evil black eyes and disheveled hair. “Hey Lady Atanih! Where’s your ‘sight beyond sight’, huh??”

“Grrrr! Adaras, get down here right now!!”

“BITE ME, No-Nads!!” The girl flew across the town as Atanih began chase.

Ininap believed the woman had forgotten her just then, so she took this time to run away before Atanih came back. _“Hnn! Hnnhnn! Hnn!”_ She heard some snickering behind a dark alley. “All right, Adaras got their attention!” snickered a black-haired boy with a spiky hairbun. “Quick, Nijoni, let’s slip this itching powder in the restaurant before they-”

“Em, hello?” greeted Ininap.

“AAAAH!” Both boys screamed. “Crud, we’ve been spotted, Iadakihs!” Nijoni exclaimed.

“Wait, who is this twerp?? I haven’t seen her around!”

“Um, I am uh, Ininap, and I came here to find my friend, Nerehc. You haven’t um, seen him anywhere, have you?” She seemed to scratch several ‘itchy’ areas as she spoke.

“Nerehc?” Nijoni questioned. “What’s he look like?”

“Um, sunglasses, brown hair, a-a red jacket, black shirt, um…”

“Well, no one else fell out of the sky if that’s whatchu mean.” Iadakihs said.

“Oh.” Ininap looked down sadly. “W-Well, would ya help me find him?”

“Ehh, depends, ehhhh… what’s he like?”

“Well- um, h-he gets in a lot o’ trouble, a-and bugs people a lot; you shoulda seen what ‘e did to this one city-”

“Say no more, we’re in! Right, Nijoni?”

“Heck yeah! Let’s get Adaras in on this, too!”

“Great! …After we finish our prank.”

“Be back in a bit.” So the duo leapt out of the alley, and Ininap watched as they crept into a restaurant window. … _“Aaaaaaahhhhh!”_ Colorful powder exploded inside, and several goers were running out scratching.

**Agutrot Island**

The morning sun was rising over this region of the Cificap Sea, so it seemed like a lovely time for Hcaz and Yddam to fly down and rest on this island. “Are you sure we can find Nerehc this way?” Yddam asked as they climbed out onto a beach.

“Not exactly. It’s a big planet, he could’ve ended up anywhere. Let’s at least grab a bite to eat here.” As they were headed to a path between some jungle up a hill, they passed a surprised robot in a white wig and metal skull face.

“Wha-… Hold UP there, YOU!” He hurried over and stopped them. “It’s a _nega-shilling_ to park your ship on the beach. And I shall need to know your name.” He spoke with a slight British accent.

“…Whaddyou say to _three_ nega-shillings,” Hcaz dropped him 3 quarters, “and we forget the name?”

“…Welcome to Agutrot Island, Mr. and Mrs. Htims!” The robot beamed before walking away casually.

“Heheh. Got that from _Marines of the Mediterranean_.” Hcaz smirked. “Changed the lines a little… ‘cause that sounded so much cooler. Weird robot, though. Keep your guard up, Dam.”

Drums sounded across the air as they drew closer to a town, overlooking it from high atop a hill. Inside a square, twin lines of robots in British naval uniforms marched back-and-forth. On a platform stood what looked to be their commander, a very fat robot with a large gray hat with golden edges, and a big white feather. “Ay, Commodore Gals, what a lovely morning for a promotion, wouldn’t you say?” said his short, slim henchman.

“I would say so, Smooth Etep. I can almost smell the crisp air even without any nostril senses. For 10 years, we’ve had nary an attack by rum-soaked pirates.”

“Aye, Sir. You do the Imperial Galactic Navy proud. Earth will forever be safe thanks to you.”

“I can never match up to the legend that is Silver-Foot Eniram, but I shall do my best, no doubt.”

“Huh… an Earth-stationed Galactic Navy base?” Hcaz observed. “Heh, if those guys did their job more often in our world, we wouldn’t have to worry about DNKG. Anyway, let’s see if they have any decent restaurants.”

After a while of exploring, they conveniently located a pub whose fancy interior rivaled that of the Fancy Banana. Sure were a lot of British-themed areas in this world… “Oh, this is TERRIBLE, Dim Thinker, so very AWFUL!”

“Huh?” The twins looked and saw a nerdy, frantic man with glasses beside a slim, shady adult with a lampshade over his head.

“How we ended up here, I have no clue, well it was that weird spacebender girl with the blue hair, yes, but what POSSESSED her to do such a thing! Don’t you have any ideas to get us back home??”

“… _click_.” The man switched his head-lamp off.

“Daddy?” Yddam spoke as they approached.

“WAI-YAH!” His heart almost stopped.

“You winded up here, TOO?” Hcaz questioned.

“OH, dearies, two kids in the same boat as I!” he proclaimed with joy, hugging the duo. “Oh, this is awful, absolutely frightening! The nerve of that girl, sending us to an island out of nowhere, whaddoes she have to impress those boys for??”

“Um, it might be a little more complex than that.” Hcaz noted. “We’re in another dimension.”

“A-An—Another—nnnn _yaaaai_.” Daddy fainted.

“… ..He just needs a while.” Yddam said.

“Mmmmm-mm, these mates really know ‘ow to make the best motor oil.” They glanced back to a couple robots walking by.

“Aye, but we need to get back to work soon. We’re supposed to join Tekcorps to Aksoloh today to see about the illegal crystals.”

“Oh, aye. What was so bad about those things again?”

“Because they come from…” Their voices faded as they left the pub.

“…Well, that’s an ear-raiser.” Hcaz commented.

“What about them?” Yddam asked.

“Hmmm… to be honest, Nerehc could’ve landed on Aksoloh, too; it wouldn’t hurt to follow ‘em and see what they’re up to ‘case he isn’t there himself.”

“Can we eat first?”

“Yeah, we will. You guys wanna join us?”

Daddy was still dizzy and unconscious, while Dim Thinker stood blankly.

“…We’ll just put it on your tab.”

**North Pole; Aksoloh**

Ikuyim rented a one-man plane—‘cause kids can do that in the Negaverse, and flew to the unbearable colds that were the North Pole, to the shining village that was Aksoloh. It was a lot warmer than Ikuyim anticipated, maybe because of all the lights. The buildings were made of sparkling snow, and many colorful crystals served as the primary lights of the village. Large men in thick tan coats were walking wolves like ordinary dogs as Ikuyim walked down the middle road and studied the village. “E-Excuse me, Sir: where do all these crystals come from?” she asked a passing man.

“Oh, well we mine for them of course, the caves out in the fields are full of them. Odd things, these crystals… they all emit a unique glow, but the yellow ones are the shiniest. Green ones help plants grow, red ones bring excellent warmth, blue ones can purify water, and purple ones, well, just make us feel good about ourselves.” He seemed to be wearing a few rings with tiny purple crystals. “And any extras make us a hefty amount of gold, too.”

“How much gold; exactly? Any 6 million cnarfs worth?”

“HOH hoh ho! …Actually, there may be. Word tells of a very special type of crystal, _Clear_ Crystal, said to possess very unique powers and abilities, extremely rare and hidden within a region of the caves no one has ever had the manpower to explore. Mmm, but it’s all speculation, we have enough crystals to make a living. Speaking of which, must see to my begonias. As you were.” With a tip of his hood, he walked away casually.

“Hmmm…” The adventure was climbing, it seemed. This Clear Crystal is one she would have to find. But even if she reached the cave, how would she go about finding this crystal no one else could. Hmm…

“Hey.” She twisted her head around to view at an alley; certainly not a dark alley with how bright everything was. It was a cool-looking girl with black long hair and a tan coat and fur hat, wearing a smooth scowl and sucking on a lollipop. “Word on the street is you’re _new_ in town.”

“Well, if I’m not a snowbunny among boars!” Ikuyim beamed.

“Sure. I’m Atekram. What’s your name?”

“Ikuyim. Ikuyim Latsyrc…”

“Latsyrc, huh? Like… _latsyrc_ (crystal)? The ones we have around town?”

“Hehe, hyeah, I guess so!”

“Then, I wonder… if you might be an earthbender?”

“An earthbender? Hnhn, hno! My sister though, she’s a lavabender, but I…I never actually felt it in me, but I dunno.”

“Hmmm…” She pulled her lolli out, and swished her tongue around. “Well, between you and me, I have an idea where these Clear Crystals might be. I’d be happy to share some of the money with you if we find them… but I don’t think we _can_ if you aren’t an earthbender. That’s why… I wanna experiment. Up for a challenge?”

“You bet I am! Wouldn’t it be amazing if I was an earthbender or what?”

“You bet it would. So c’mon. Let’s walk ‘n’ talk.” She walked down the alley to the snowfields, and with a look of curiosity, Ikuyim chased after.

**Positive Termina; Frosty Citadel**

Cheren Uno was on his own adventure, joined by Panini Drilovsky who had decided to come to this dimension outta nowhere, and their friend Thomas. While exploring a frozen fortress, they came to a circular, fairly dark room, looking around. They stopped when arrows were suddenly shot by their feet, and a figure skidded into the middle of the room, his feet leaving a trail of purple fire. “Is that-” Panini began.

“Nerehc?!” Cheren exclaimed.

The Negative turned and faced Cheren with a smirk. “Hey, Cherry. Long time, no see.” He held up his sword and prepared to strike. (Play Dark Pit’s Theme from _Kid Icarus: Uprising_.)

_Sub-boss: Nerehc EiznekCm Onu_

Right away, Cheren and Nerehc were in a clash of their blades. Nerehc was using a sword he borrowed from the pirates as both opposites swung their swords fast before both blades came in contact, their forces pushing on the other. “What’s the big idea…” Cheren grunted, “and how did you get here?”

“You tell me.” Nerehc replied. “It’s your fault.”

They jumped to opposite sides of the room. “Me?! Why are you blaming me for your being here?!”

“Does the shrinking door sound familiar?”

“What??” Cheren looked surprised. “How did you-”

“Because when you went in that door and got shrunkified, I shrunk, too! Do you know how scary being a bug size is? ?” he shuddered. “It was a nightmare. And now I’m splorped to this dimension, immediately I knew it was you! So you’re going to help me find a way outta this world, as soon as I teach you a lesson!” With that said, Nerehc shot at Cheren with his rocket feet, and the two opposites clashed blades again.

Cheren swung as fast as he could to try and hit his Negative, but Nerehc kept zipping around him, Cheren turning and defending with quick blocks. Cheren was able to kick his foot up into his shin, then give him a strike across the chest. Nerehc jumped back and pulled out a bow as he fired quick arrows at Cheren, which the boy defended with his shield. Cheren ran and tried to swing his sword at Nerehc, but the Negative flew up with his rocket feet and fired more arrows down, hovering safely above the room. Cheren chased him around while avoiding the arrows. After a short while of chasing, Cheren noticed the small ledges that were around the walls of the room.

Cheren threw on his Wolf Mask and turned into his werewolf form. “HOLY CRAP! !” Nerehc exclaimed with a look of utter shock. He fired arrows faster as Cheren began jumping around the wall’s platforms, getting close enough to Nerehc to leap at the Negative and tackle him to the ground, forcefully biting at his chest. He ripped a piece of Nerehc’s shirt off as the Negative jumped up and flew near the ceiling. Nerehc started to charge lightning in his fingers, so Cheren quickly ran around in his wolf form to dodge when Nerehc fired. Nerehc charged another lightning strike, but Cheren hid behind one of the pillars and avoided. When he peeked back out, Nerehc immediately threw another strike, but Cheren dodged.

Nerehc flew down again as Cheren changed back to a human, clashing with his Negative once again. Nerehc zipped behind and tried to shoot an arrow, but Cheren ducked and rolled behind to perform an upward strike. Nerehc flew back as he charged a ball of purple fire in his hand. He threw it at Cheren, but the boy simply used his shield to bounce it back and knock the Negative dizzy, allowing Cheren to run and deal a few strikes. Nerehc started flying around the room again as he launched more quick arrows.

Cheren turned into a wolf as he started to jump around the small platforms again. He was catching up to Nerehc, but the Negative quickly zipped to the other side. Cheren jumped his way across, but the speedy Negative kept zipping back and forth. However, that’s when Panini decided to throw a fireball and burn Nerehc’s pants, distracting the Negative long enough for Cheren to jump over and tackle him to the ground. Nerehc tried to crawl away, but Cheren kept him down as he furiously tugged on Nerehc’s jacket collar. Cheren ripped another piece of his clothing off as he threw Nerehc to the side. (End song.)

Nerehc lay tired on the floor as he turned at Cheren, his Positive changing back to a human as he gave a smirk. “Didn’t know I could do that, huh?”

“Okay… _that_ is almost slightly cooler than being able to fly.” Nerehc replied as he got to his feet. “But screw this. I’ll catch you some other time. Later, Cherry.” With that, Nerehc threw his bow to the ground as he flew out of a hole in the ceiling.

Outside the citadel, Nerehc landed on the snowy ground, the blizzard hard against his face. A pair of footsteps crunched through the snow from the darkness, and over his own sunglasses, the strange Mask Man presented himself with his creepy grin. “I see you can be trusted to deliver belongings… and neglect to give credit when such is due.”

“Yeah, well… it wouldn’t’ve sounded cool if I said some creepy guy with masks told me why we’re both here.”

“It’s no crime to feign placing blame… as long as your description for that blame is accurate. You must know that the two of you being here is a fault of neither of you, but you are-”

“Yeah yeah, we’ve connected by FATE, that’s BULLCRAP. The fact is, HE’S stupid and gutsy, I’M not… to an extent. And BECAUSE of his stupid decisions, coincidence or no, I’M the one in trouble! If he gets stabbed by a monster, **I** choke on a chip, and HOW can I live in peace knowing I could be ZAPPED to a dimension at any time when HE decides to be the hero and DO THE WARP THING?!”

“…” The Mask Man frowned, “It’s true that Cheren came here of his own free will, and you were forced here by other means.” Oddly, the blizzard began to calm down, making it a bit more tolerable for Nerehc. “Indeed, the idea of this ‘Coincidence Factor’ is why Positives were never supposed to know about Negatives. That’s why the gods kept you separate. To assure them that what becomes of their lives is their own fate or decision. That _is_ still true. And such a separation… has its _own_ negative consequences. I find it a warm feeling… that each being has someone in the universe they are connected to. A single life they can ultimately share, together… the way their destinies can be linked. All opposites… must be attracted to each other somehow.”

“Well, it’s STUPID. If Cheren continues to do stupid stuff, the universe FORCES me to do something similarly stupid, whether I want it or not! I bet the gods NEVER even considered how we feel being LINKED to someone we didn’t like, being FORCED to die whenever _they_ make a noble sacrifice. The gods just saw us as a minor side… _nuisance_ that had to be created in order to ‘achieve balance.’ You know, WHAT would’ve been so bad if we were just left as one whole person?”

“…” This idea kept the man frowning. “Imbalance is a terrible thing. To know that one thing decides everything. There is no purity in singularity. There must always be two sides to an equation… because both sides will keep perfect harmony in a singularity. Imperfection will exist between them, yes… but even that is a piece to perfect harmony.”

“So I’m just s’posed to ACCEPT Cheren will make dumb decisions that endanger my life?!”

“…” He looked at Nerehc, “You have made an equally dumb decision by choosing to fight him. Both of you will encounter obstacles that you will have to face with your own strength. If you truly don’t want to die… then keep yourself from dying. If Cheren wants to survive… then he will. All the two of you can do is help each other, by helping yourselves. And then… helping each other.” His loving, warmhearted grin returned. “Believe in your strengths… and help each other.” And for the second time, Nerehc saw the back of his large pack as he faded.

“… .. Yeah.” Nerehc knew. “I’m gonna have to trap Cheren so he doesn’t get in anymore trouble.”

**Aksoloh; Crystal Caves**

Atekram led Ikuyim across the vast snowfields, to a hillside where many dark caves lay, dim colorful lights shining from inside. The two entered a cave of red crystals, the extreme warmth already making them sweat despite the cold outside. “It’s blazing in here, so let’s be quick.” Atekram stated. “It’s now or never to see if you have earthbending.”

“But if I had it, wouldn’t I have known by now?” Ikuyim questioned. “I wouldn’t know how to find out now.”

“You can take off your shoes. It’s not like your toes will freeze off.” She slurped her lollipop with that same cool-girl look.

“Ha ha ha! Well… okay!” Ikuyim bent down, unhooked her Mary-Janes, and slipped off her thin black socks, planting her small skinny feet on the ground. “…Nnnn-he-he-he-he-he-he-he!” She began skipping in place silly on the scorched ground. “Ouchies hot, ouchies hot, ouchies hot!”

“Uuuuugh!” So Atekram blasted beams of ice to freeze a few nearby crystals. “There! Now can you stand still?”

“Wow, you’re an icebender!”

“Wow, big surprise. Just focus!”

On this much-cooler ground, Ikuyim could stand still as she closed her eyes and leaned a hand against a wall. Things were totally silent… the warmth of unfrozen crystals mixed with the gentle chill of Atekram’s ice, keeping a reasonable temperature. She tried to focus on nothing but the wall and whatever wonders lay inside. _Seeeeee_ the wall. Beeeee the wall. Her feet are her eyes… and theeeey seee aaaaaall. There is no up… there is only down. Down to the ground. Down like a frown. And somewhere, inside the deepest mound… was stuff to be found.

…And what beautiful wonders there were around. What she couldn’t see with open eyes, she saw far more in the blackness of her eyelids. A deep, vast complex, going for miles beneath the surface… and all throughout, crystals of endless colors. Purple, red, blue, green, yellow, orange… ..so many crystals, so much to see. And now she could see it all.

“I don’t believe it… I see them! I AM an earthbender!” Ikuyim never felt so happy. “Mom and Dad will be so proud!”

“I’m proud of you, too…” remarked Atekram with disinterest, “or at least I would be if you can find some Clear Crystal.”

“Right, right. Let’s see…” She closed her eyes and sensed into the earth again. There were so many colorful crystals, if these ones were clear, she wondered if they’d even have color. …Well, that answered her own question, but more importantly. She wanted to focus on specific areas. She directed her blinded vision down, searching every little room of crystals. She kept going farther and farther into the caves, maybe to areas that were never even explored. She tried to essentially darken a few areas, leaving colored areas surrounded by black. And after she had chosen to darken almost the entire underground… an odd grayish-white aura shone.

“I _found_ them.” She spoke at last. “Let’s go…” Carrying her shoes and socks, she walked forward blindly into the cave, Atekram alighting a glowing ice sphere to serve as her own light.

It felt as though they were walking for miles, with Ikuyim’s eyes closed the whole way, as if she abandoned all senses and followed pure extinct. They were in a vast room above an endless chasm, Ikuyim walking zombie-like down a thin slope along the side of the wall. This path became horizontal as it led behind and around a waterfall. They then entered a cave with a small waterfall flowing into a shallow river alit by blue crystals. As Ikuyim stepped across the water, it eased her feet from walking the rugged ground, and savored its gentle feel before she continued down a new tunnel.

The cave of yellow crystals was awfully bright, so she had to shut her eyes tighter so the light didn’t seep in through her eyelids. They make it out of the yellow cave in time, arriving at a beautiful green cave of such crystals, where grass, flowers, and fruit trees bloomed like a forest. Ikuyim opened her eyes to admire the sight, and the lush grass was also a relief under her feet. She wanted to walk around and try the fruits growing around, but a push from Atekram made her frown and keep going, eyes closed again. They found another river cavern where the path ended at a diagonal stream, where Atekram froze the water solid so Ikuyim could joyfully slide down, followed by Atekram at a lesser emotion. This was followed by a chamber of pink crystals, which exerted a strong perfume that almost intoxicated their noses. Their journey would then take them up a rugged wall with plenty of tiny ledges to put their hands and feet on. Afterwards, it was just a gentle stroll down a tunnel of various crystals.

“Atekram… these crystals are all so beautiful.”

“Says you to the girl who sees them every day of her life.”

“I mean, think about it. They can grow plants, provide light and warmth, clean water… crystals like these are the answer to all our problems. They’re all humans would need to survive… it’s the ultimate power source. Just imagine what gems like these could _do_ for the world.”

“Yes, but if the whole world knew about them, people would swarm us from all over, taking ALL our crystals, and we couldn’t have THAT.”

“But don’t you guys get plenty?”

“Not enough for a whole planet. Better to just not let them know so they don’t go obsessing.”

Ikuyim was about to walk into a tunnel of purple dim light, before stopping at its edge. “…No… let’s go this way.” She proceeded down an alternate tunnel.

“Losing your sense of direction?”

“N-No—I mean, that _is_ a shorter way, it’s just… filled with purple crystals.”

“So what? Let’s just head that way.”

“But there’s something _weird_ about the purple ones. I feel…I don’t feel comfortable around them.”

“Siiiiigh. Whatever suits your fancy.”

So it seemed the walk stretched on a bit longer for not taking the shortcut. The cave grew very dark indeed, Atekram having to keep her Frost Light shining while Ikuyim saw with Seismic Sense. They followed many twists and turns, and Atekram wondered if Ikuyim was actually lost. So far they went… so very far. Until Ikuyim finally came to a dead end. “This is it. Just behind this wall.”

“Then break it down.”

“Um… I’m not sure how, it’s my first time.”

“Just do it, it’s the easiest trick in the book.”

Well, if life was an adventure… this was another step. Planting her hand firm against the wall, feeling every single part of it, she raised her other hand and PUSHED through with a forceful thrust. A bright gray light shone from inside and the girls gaped: a chamber filled to the brim with Clear Crystals, their wondrous glow glinting off their eyes. “I don’t believe it… they _do_ exist.” Atekram’s lolli dropped from her wide-open mouth. It was probably the only other emotion she showed today.

“So _beautiful_!” Ikuyim beamed. “But what do they do?”

“Who knows. But if it’s money you’re looking for, this stuff oughta set ya. Grab ‘em and let’s get moving.”

“Ummm… okay. Hnnnn!” Using her new awakened bending, Ikuyim managed to lift a bender’s handful into the air. She definitely seemed to have a better bond with these crystals than the normal earth. So the two made the very long journey out of the caves, past all the other crystal rooms, and Ikuyim was careful not to bump the clear ones around too much.

The brightness of outside soon hit their eyes again, and Ikuyim put her shoes back on before they crossed the frosty fields. The sun illuminated the crystals blindingly, and their shine already attracted the attention of townspeople from the outskirts. Murmurs were heard as dozens came to see, almost mesmerized by the light. “Do my _eyes_ de _ceive_ me?” a slim old man said. “The Clear Crystals shine before me?”

“Then the legends may be true after all!” a younger, chubbier man exclaimed. “Young ladies, I will pay you a KING’S ransom for those crystals!”

“Ummmmm will 6 million cnarfs’ worth do?” Ikuyim asked.

“I have NO idea what those are, but 6 million pounds of gold you shall receive!”

“Hehehehehehehe let _me_ count the money.” She sweatdropped, knowing she couldn’t lift that much gold.

**Exposed Twig Village**

“ADARAS, YOU HAVE UNTIL THE COUNT OF THREE TO COME BACK RIGHT NOW!” Atanih screamed as she chased the trio of cloned girls.

“Oh, we can count to three!” one of them sang. “Question is, can YOU tell which’s me?” another followed. “TIME TO SPREE!” They flew separate directions, making Atanih stop.

“Sigh… this daughter of yours, Arukas. I’ll never understand why you married him.” So the ninja continued to try and chase.

Of course, Atanih was going _way_ off course. Adaras, Iadakihs, and Nijoni were leading Ininap through an underground tunnel somewhere beneath the village. “So you’re telling me this girl is from some other dimension?” Adaras asked.

“That’s what she told us.” Iadakihs replied. “Who was it you’re looking for?”

“H-His name’s Nerehc.” Ininap answered. “H-He can shoot purple fire, and he uses a glowing white sword, and um…”

“He’s a real prankster, right??” Nijoni asked eagerly.

“Yes..”

“HE HE HE HYEAAAH!” He and Iadakihs high-fived.

“So, um… w-where are you taking me?” Ininap stuttered.

“You’ll see, just hold on.” Adaras told her.

They were finally at the center of the cave alit with several lanterns. “Hey… you guys have a R.E.P.M.A.C.S..” Ininap observed, seeing the familiar ship.

“Of course. We _are_ DNK operatives.” Iadakihs informed. “You’re looking at Sector LG, the best pranksters in all the crew. We’ll fly around and find this Nerehc guy in no time at all.”

“B-But I don’t even know where he landed, he could be anywhere.”

“Ehh, more time to kill for us. But between you and me, there’s one place in particular we think he might be. Right, Adaras?” He smirked at his leader.

“…” She glanced back at him. “Of course that’s where you think he is.”

“Huh? Where?” asked Ininap.

“At HcorbNud Kingdom.” Iadakihs replied. “Where Adaras’s-”

“That’s not important.” Adaras interrupted. “But if you really wanna go there, then fine. Don’t see why he’d land there of all places…”

“Oh, it feels like a reasonable location.”

On the mountain that towered over the village, seven heads were engraved into the side, the Seven Egakoh that once ruled the village. The current, seventh statue’s, one of a short-haired woman, mouth began to open, and a light shone inside as the R.E.P.M.A.C.S. shot out like a rocket.

**HcorbNud Kingdom**

They flew miles and miles over the earth, beyond Napaj’s boundaries, to the lush, um, _barren_ deserts of Dnaltocs. HcorbNud was the most populated city in all of the land, bustling with townspeople and endless activity. They parked the R.E.P.M.A.C.S. a few miles away from the city before making the arduous walk to it, the sun making Ininap’s feeble skin sweat.

“Man, I really needed a vacation from that dump, anyway.” Nijoni said with a relaxed posture as they blended in with the dozens of citizens… well, not exactly since everyone was in Arab robes, but they became pretty swallowed in nonetheless.

“E-Everyone seems pretty _happy_ here.” Ininap stuttered. “Ay don’t see why—living in a hot place like this seems pretty troublesome.”

“Why of COURSE we’re happy!” a large man exclaimed with a Scottish accent. “Our desert is prosperous with lush trees, rich food, and the cleanest waters ever! And we’ve all got our ruler, Lord Menma to thank for it!”

“Wh-Wh-Who’s Menma?”

“Why, our savior of course! Ever since he came here 800 years ago, he’s kept the kingdom alive and thriving, just when it was on the brink of ruin!”

“Ei-Ei-Eight-hundred years? B-But ‘ow can he _live_ that long?”

“With his power, of course! Oh- Ay’ve got to go now, visit the museum if ya want to learn more.” He ran off in a hurry.

Ininap further studied the city as they walked, and compared to most Arabian areas she was aware of, this town seemed pretty underadvanced, as if this place hadn’t evolved for centuries. “Wh-What kind of power helps someone run a kingdom for 800 years?”

“Timebending, of course.” Adaras replied.

“T-Timebending?”

“They call Lord Menma the ‘Negative with no Positive’.” Iadakihs explained. “The story is that his Positive died a long time ago, but he’s kept himself alive with his timebending. He’s done the same thing with this very town. For 800 years, he kept the very same people, in the very same kingdom alive. But in the Positive Universe, _all_ of these peoples’ Positives have died.”

“B-B-But, _how_ can that be _possible_?”

“Positives and Negatives only follow each other through Space. Not through Time.” Adaras informed. “Different eras, same dimension. That’s why using timebending is really dangerous. It hurts the universe more than spacebending. In fact, do you want to see what’s probably the _oldest_ treehouse on the planet? Well, take a look.” They reached the edge of town as Adaras indicated the massive tree standing high above a beautiful Arabian palace a few miles off. “That’s Sector BD, run by Princess Adirem and her friends. Not really the strongest sector, pretty timid—you know, you kind of remind me of her, Ininap.”

Although that comment did interest her, Ininap noticed something else about Adaras. That laughing, joyful girl who made Atanih’s life not a joyful one back in Exposed Twig sounded a lot less ecstatic and prankstery, and a bit more… serious. “Um, A-A-Adaras?” she spoke up. “Is something… wr-wrong? Ya sound… really different.”

“..What?” She looked a little taken aback. “I’m the way I’ve always been.”

“It’s just, s-since we discussed coming here, ya’ve been… well, Ay guess I don’t know you that well, it’s just at the village, ya were…”

“Let’s just say girl’s a little sensitive about the topic of Menma.” Nijoni said, putting an arm around Inap. “But now ‘at we’re here, let’s go meet Adirem. I’m sure you’ll really hit it off!” He grabbed Inap’s arm and seemed to forcibly drag her along to the palace.

“HEY, we can’t just rush over there—UGH, you guys will be the death of me.” Adaras huffed before she and Iadakihs chased.

**Aksoloh**

Ikuyim couldn’t _believe_ that so many pounds of gold could be strapped to the bottom of her one-man plane. It was under 6 million, that’s for sure, but she hoped it would be a start to helping Sloucher rebuild his park. “Thank you for helping me load these on. Heheh!” Ikuyim smiled at the chubby man that helped her. “I hope these won’t be too big a loss for you.”

“Oh, not at all. Heh, but those Clear Crystals should provide a worthwhile entertainment!”

“How come? Did you find out what they’re used for?”

“Oh, we knew what they could do a long time ago, and it was true! Hah, those wolves NEVER looked more silly!”

“Wh…Whaddyou mean?” Something sounded really suspicious about this whole thing.

“Oh, you HAVE to come and see, it is a HOOT!”

And that’s just what Ikuyim did. It seemed that the whole town almost had gathered to the northwest, a huge cup of Clear Crystals raised high onto a platform while spotlights – powered by Yellow Crystals – shone upon them to increase their shining radius. A pack of wolves was in the field close by, and Ikuyim could see the mesmerized, almost mindless look in their eyes. _“NOW presenting, Swimming With the Wolves!”_ A team of waterbenders in the field dissolved the ground beneath the wolves, landing them in a pool of water. The man on the platform with the Clear Crystals waved his arms, and this seemed to signal the wolves to perform a series of acrobatic swim movements as if they were humans… or bulls. One wolf raised his front paws up so another could flip up and stand on them with his own fronts, his hind side straight in the air. His legs spread so three more could shoot up and over him like dolphins, then that standing wolf flipped down and across a stairway of wolves on top of others.

Those wolves all flipped around and stacked atop one-another in a fashion that made hexagonal holes in-between. The wolves in the water swam around while still keeping the standing ones perfectly balanced, and they all began to move around to form many unique multi-dimensional shapes. One row by one, they flipped down like tumbling block walls, and all grabbed onto one’s hind legs as they surfed about the pool in the form of a wormlike chain, up to down to up to down.

“W-Wow… so you guys trained your wolves to do all this?” Ikuyim asked.

“No, of course not, bloody things are only good as house pets or sled-pullers.” the man explained. “But these Clear Crystals release a hypnotic light that puts unintelligent creatures under a kind of trance that makes them basically mindless, allowing easy control for the humans. I saw a few toddlers over there pretty hypnotized as well – why, we might not have to waste money on servants if we can do THAT! Make children and animals handle all the work, we say, doesn’t cost a nega-penny. These crystals are the future of Aksoloh, we tell you, and it’s ALL thanks to you, Dearest!”

No way Ikuyim could live with that on her conscience. And she wouldn’t let them get away with this, either. She looked right and saw two men hauling in a large wagon of Red Crystals. She rushed over, leaped into the wagon, and used her bending to lift the hot gems and chuck them at the Clear Crystals’ platform.

“Waaaah-aaaaahhh-WAAAAAHH!” That excess of heat melted the frosty pillar and caused its user and the shining crystals to fall. Everyone directed their furious eyes to Ikuyim.

“That is NO way to treat Earth’s creatures!” When several citizens began charging at her with water or icebending, Ikuyim grabbed and chucked more Red Crystals that smashed against them and caused extreme heat. When she ran out, she hurried downtown as the townspeople chased, grabbing Yellow Crystals from their lampposts and hurdling them forth to make blinding flashes that stunned them for several moments. She seized the moment to run behind a house to steal several Green Crystals from a garden, and when townspeople came around to attack her, she threw and shattered the crystals against them, covering them with an odd moss that wasn’t easy to shake off.

Ikuyim then hopped a fence and climbed into the window of another house, the place reeking with Pink Crystals. She proceeded to grab a few of them, run out the front door, and throw them at incoming townspeople to infect their nostrils with a scent that would last inside them for weeks. A good number of townspeople were too preoccupied to chase her now, so it was the perfect moment to run past them, back to the northwest, and seize the fallen Clear Crystals. “You won’t be misusing these ANY more!” she declared, raising them up high. “They don’t belong to- AAH!” An ice blast froze her legs, startling her as she dropped the crystals.

“Hey, **I** introduced you to earthbending, I BORED myself following you down that dungeon, YOU aren’t destroying our hard work.” Atekram told her. “Take your gold and leave, Latsyrc.”

Ikuyim lunged a smaller crystal over to break the ice, “I don’t think so.” She chucked the Clear at Atekram, who froze and ceased its flight before rolling aside and thrusting a trail of icicles from the ground to Ikuyim, who dodged. She grabbed Blue Crystals from a bucket and hurled them to Atekram when an ice beam flew, and the impact turned the watery crystals into huge, glittering chunks of ice. They repeated this routine until Ikuyim had no more Blues to throw, but Atekram could easily grab the large ice chunks and attempt to crush Ikuyim with them. She tried to run to town for more crystals, but Atekram crushed a few in her path, and when two more flew her way, Ikuyim ran around past her, dodging more ice chunks as she maneuvered to the Clear Crystals.

“Leave those ALONE!” Atekram furiously threw three ice chunks, which Ikuyim dodged and allowed to smash the Clear Crystals to pieces. “! …Oops.”

The wolves, who had mindlessly climbed out of the pool, shook free of their trance and snarled viciously at the townspeople. But the only thing that kept them from attacking was the sudden sound of burning engines, their force blowing snow everywhere.

A small fleet of ships was coming down for landing, and swarms of naval robot troops marched out with guns armed. Out of the flagship marched the largest robot, Lieutenant Tekcorps, whose stomach appeared to be a refrigerator. “This town is hereby condemned for the illegal use of Nature Crystals. All citizens are ordered to turn over any in their possession so we may return them to the caves they originated.”

“I-I-I-Illegal use?” Ikuyim questioned, still on the ground. “What’s going on?”

“So sorry to frighten you, Child, but you’ll have to say good-bye to these crystals. This region is deeply rooted with the Heart of this World, and these crystals grow from its energy to breathe the air of outside to continuously fuel it. Plucking them from where they grow is a dangerous act for the planet; I’m glad we were able to catch on before too much damage happened.”

Ikuyim frowned with guilt. “…Actually… I might’ve broken a few of them.”

“Children will be children… but the amount we’re taking back should keep the planet in check. We _especially_ need to take back the _Purple_ Gems.” So with that, he marched up to Atekram and raised her by the arm.

“Hey-! Hey-! Hey-! Get off, get off!” She squirmed helplessly when Tekcorps reached under her coat and retrieved a small purple gem.

“These Evil Crystals emit a dark energy that drives beings to madness when exposed too long.” he said, observing the gem closely. “Used to power devices called ‘Darkness Cannons’ – another illegal practice. They need to stay with the Heart, too, in order to balance its energy. I think it was the finding of these crystals that gave these people their less-than-reputable personalities. Hopefully they’ll become a bit better after an extended break from ‘em.”

“But it’s just so disappointing… these crystals really _can_ help people.”

“They _are_ helping people, by giving them a planet. You must learn that even the most flawless fuel source has some strings attached. These people will learn to survive without them.”

“…Well… it’s better not to use those clear ones, anyway.”

“Indeed. Well, run along and play now, we have crystals to clear out.” So with that, he marched off to oversee his troops.

Well, Ikuyim guessed these robots would handle things for now. But she had other business to take care of. Glancing briefly at a scowling Atekram, Ikuyim hurried through the village to the gold-packed plane parked outside. After starting it up, her plane had the durability only seen in cartoons as it carried the back-breaking pounds into the sky.

She didn’t get five miles from Aksoloh, however, when a ship appeared to be tailing her. _“HEY, Numbuh -6am. Is that you??”_

“Huh? WHO IS IT?”

_“It’s Negative 59+58 and Yddam. We went to a naval island and saved Daddy and Dim Thinker before we followed these ships here. How did YOU get to this world?”_

“Ummm… I THINK WE HAVE A LOT of explaining to do to each other.” she yelled over the wind. “Hey, CAN YOU GUYS help me bring all this gold back to Eporue?”

_“Um, I guess. But when we do, we have to find Nerehc, he was blown here too.”_

“OKAY. We’ll get right on it.”

**HcorbNud Kingdom**

Sector LG and Ininap arrived at the walls just outside the palace courtyard. The front gates appeared to be sealed tight. “I think Sector BD have a secret passage around the back.” Iadakihs informed. “Anyway, it’s nothing we can’t make with a few leaps—”

“Hu!!” Adaras gasped, her eyes fixed with fear as she looked to a palace tower.

“What’s wrong, Ras?” Nijoni asked.

“It…It’s him! The Positiveless Negative!”

Standing atop that tower was a man in a black jumpsuit, with a light-gray fur cape, spiky black hair, and a kitsune mask with 3 eyes. He was very high and far from their view, but in a light-fast leap, he was on the wall above the gate. _“Adaras… how nice of you to visit.”_

“Hello… Father.”

“F-F-F-Father?” Ininap stuttered. “You two are… related?”

“It’s pretty messed-up.” Iadakihs commented. “Menma married Arukas, the Egakoh, and had Adaras before he fled the Exposed Twig and decided to revive this dead kingdom.”

“But why would he…”

_“To prove that we Negatives don’t need our Positives to survive. That day, 19 years ago, when I visited the Posiverse and realized my Positive has gone without a trace… and using my timebending to see what fate befell him… I knew. It’s thanks to timebending that Positives or Negatives can continue to survive without the need of their opposites. So I came to this kingdom long-since dead, and revived all of its inhabitants with my powers. It’s the same as it was 800 years ago, and though they know such time has passed, Time is naught but an illusion to them. And to me… With no needs of our Positives, we can live forever.”_

“B-But living without Positives… there just seems something _wrong_ about that. Aren’t these the kind of actions that… hurt the universe?”

_“It’s never been greater paradise. And you shall see that yourself, with your own eyes. How easy it is to exist, WITHOUT YOUR POSITIVE.”_

“NEEEEEK!” A dim blue aura encased Ininap’s form, a glowing clock forming below her feet. “AIIIIIEEEEEE!” The portal flew open, and she fell and fell and fell into the endless chasm.

“Inap, no!” Iadakihs exclaimed before the portal sealed.

“Hey, bring her back, she was trying to find someone!” Adaras yelled.

_“Hmph. She’ll need that someone as badly as she’ll need her Positive. To have to rely on others for strength… that’s what our so-called gods try to teach us with these intertwined worlds. It is a weakness, in fact, to have your life bound to someone else. That is why I will show them all… how irrelevant our Positives’ existence is!!”_

 

**Hands up if you remember Menma. If you don’t, won’t spoil who his Positive is. ;) Next time will be the conclusion of the Animret Arc. See you soon.**


	14. Unregistered Timebending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ininap meets Princess Adirem and her sector, and soon finds herself trapped in a time loop.

**I really wanna watch _Gravity Falls_ now. Anyhoo, let’s begin this chapter with a narration from Patrick Stewart.**

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Chapter -7: Unregistered Timebending

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**Somewhere on the sea**

_All these big timeskips are REALLY starting to confuse me. I can’t tell which parts of the Negatives’ stories take place during which parts of_ MASKED _. I didn’t even_ read MASKED _very well, the stages were WAY too long, I just skimmed them. I assumed nothing entirely major happened, but I’ll have to refresh my memory. So it looks like Nerehc got drunk on Tortuga Island, and then the pirates deemed him a sissy and had him thrown overboard. He found Cheren’s Mirror Shield and encountered him in Japan, where they got in another fight. Now, Nerehc and the Spanish kid, Pablo are adrift at sea, in another scene that was also in_ MASKED _, but will include a different touch for this story._

Nerehc and Pablo were back on their little rowboat, drifting along an empty part of the vast sea, with Nerehc still looking frustrated over his latest defeat with Cheren. “Sigh, I can’t leave that do-goody Cheren alone for 1 second without him being able to turn into several new forms. Is that just the special treatment he gets in this dimension?”

“No sé. (I dunno.)” Pablo said.

“Sigh, I shouldn’t even be trying to worry about Cheren. All I wanna do is get the heck outta here. …Of course, that’s why I went after Cheren to begin with. Still, if I don’t get back, Mom’s gonna fry me to a crisp. There’s GOT to be a way back.”

“Tal vez si deja de tratar de luchar con Cheren, se le puede decir cómo volver. No veo el momento de la lucha contra él, Señor. (Maybe if you stop trying to fight with Cheren, he can tell you how to get back. I do not see the point in fighting him, Mister.)”

Nerehc clutched Pablo by the shirt and yelled in his face, “DUDE! LEARN ENGLISH! LEARN!! ENGLISH!!”

_“English.”_

“Wah!” Nerehc flinched when the Zoni suddenly appeared behind him. …Not that he recognized the creatures.

_“English…”_

Nerehc exchanged a confused glance with Pablo. “Um… y-yes, I would LIKE him… to learn _English_.”

 _“English… ENGLISH!…”_ the Zonis’ eyes grew wide.

“Um…”

_“STOP… THE ENGLISH!”_

“Um, I was only saying ‘cause I can’t understand-” Nerehc was given a shock by the Zoni, and he fell unconscious.

**Kingdom of Darkness; Derse**

Nerehc found himself in a strange city of tall, purple buildings under a pitch-black sky. When he stood, he saw that a purple jumpsuit with a three-swirl symbol, that lined up like a triangle, was over his body. “What…What is this place?”

So Nerehc wandered mindlessly around this city, jumping many buildings, and seeing the place was populated by shadowy black chess-piece creatures. A large purple castle sat in the distance, but before going, he spotted two particular chess-guys reading a newspaper, and he jumped down behind them. “Hey, the Queen’s got a new prisoner. Some guy that fell on Derse a few weeks ago.”

“Was it a salamander?”

“No, it’s… a human.”

“Human? You mean those things with the snow-white skin?”

“No, this one has a light-brownish color. …Like that kid.”

“Huh?” the two finally noticed Nerehc, and the Negative child immediately took out the right one, then kicked the left one down before standing on and aiming his sword at him.

“Hey.” He grinned innocently. “You mind telling me the name of this planetoid?”

“Um… it’s Derse.”

“Ahh, Derse. And, how would one get into that castle?”

“Um… try knocking?”

“Okay. Lemme try.” He bent down and lightly tapped the guy’s forehead with his knuckles. “Knock…” followed by a punch that knocked him out, “KNOCK. Yeah, that doesn’t work for me. I prefer to get creative about it.” With that, Nerehc turned a few more corners of the town, where more black creatures tried to shoot him on his way to the castle. They were all very terrible shots, and Nerehc was able to slice them all in seconds. They were probably aiming their guns upward, or backwards.

When Nerehc made it to the front door of the castle, he decided to try what the chess man suggested: he gently knocked on the door, and said, “Knock-knock.”

A tiny slot opened to reveal a black chess’s furrowed white eyes. “Who’s there?” he responded.

“Shocking.”

“Shocking who?”

“It’s shocking that I was going to do this.” With that, Nerehc zapped the guard through the slot and afterwards used lightning to blow the door open. “Well… not really.”

Nerehc charged into the first hall as several guards were already coming to shoot him, but Nerehc swiftly sped around and sliced them all. There was one guard remaining, so Nerehc threw his sword and stuck him to the wall by his collar. “Where’s the prison block?” he demanded.

“Downstairs. I think the stairs leading downward should help you.”

“Okay, Sarcastic.” With that, Nerehc knocked the guard out and pulled his sword back before heading to the nearest staircase. He slid down the stairs into a hallway with several prison cells, and apparent criminals behind them, mostly white guys. Nerehc looked at a sign on the ceiling that read _Minor criminals_. There was an intersecting hall that read _Major criminals/Refused to pay taxes_ , and straight ahead was a door labeled, _Prisoners so special that the Queen just has to see them. Why are they so special?_

Nerehc nodded (disbelieved) and sped into that door, only to appear in a smaller hall with another door, labeled _Door 2_. He sped forward, and found _Door 3_ , then passed ‘Nother Door, then into _Yet Another One_ , then into _We Sure Love Doors_ , then finally reached a room with a large, secured door labeled _Finally, You Made It_. Nerehc peeked into the small window to see what was up.

Sitting on one end of the room was a pitch-black queen, wearing a black crown and rather colorful getup, and she was facing who Nerehc assumed was the human. He couldn’t get a good look at him, but he was baldheaded, and a slight mustache and beard. “Who is he?…”

The queen stood. “I’ll return to bring you dinner.” So with that, she left through an alternate door in the back of the cell.

The mystery man closed his eyes and hung his head down. “Well… I didn’t think I’d have anymore visitors here.”

Nerehc gasped. Seems he’d been noticed after all…

“Don’t be alarmed. I don’t have any benefit to ratting you out. …My name is Gnaa.”

“Gnaa? _Negatar_ Gnaa? The one who destroyed the universe?”

“The very same. The darkness inside my heart was too strong for me to handle. I thought I, the Master of Dark Elements, had total control, but I was a fool. Thanks be to Morgan and my Positive for pulling me out.”

“Yeah, you sounded pretty messed up in my mom’s story.”

“Your… mother?”

“Yeah, Lehcar. Ganondorf’s daughter.”

“So _you’re_ Ganondorf’s grandson… hmph. Seems like only yesterday when he banished me into that chaos dimension. Ahhhhh, those were the days. I was the most popular character on the KND Fan Forums. How has everyone been?”

“Oh, good, good. Depthcharge started a new series, bunch of _One Piece_ characters are being added to the wiki, there’s also this girl obsessed with _Smash Brothers_ , and the critics finally accepted Gamewizard’s too awesome. Anyway, lot of questions I wanna ask. First of all, is _Legend of Korra_ canon to this series, or-”

“No. That Tarrlok thing during Heroes Together was just a bit.”

“Didn’t think so. Okay, so, um… what happened to Arceus?”

“I… don’t know. When Arceus’s body exploded, I was blown into a dimension far beyond my limits. I’ve wandered this realm for 20 years, trying to find a way back… until, just 3 weeks ago, I was captured on _this_ moon and locked up here. It seems the very presence of a human here… makes people afraid.”

“But, if you’re here, that means your Positive…”

“No. He is not. Spirits and the Spirit World are one that exists in all worlds or realms. As the Avatar and Negatar are half-spirits, the dimension-hopping rule doesn’t apply to us. But other factors do, such as our lifespan or age factor. That’s why, for 100 years, I didn’t age a day.”

“Well, _you_ must feel lucky. Not having a life totally determined by your Positive.” Nerehc stated angrily.

“Care to elaborate?”

“My life’s been a real MESS lately because of my Positive. I’m suddenly BLOWN into this alternate dimension, it happened earlier while I was shrinkified, before you know it, Dumbo’s going to get himself killed.”

“Hmmm… it’s a funny thing. I can’t imagine where my life would’ve gone had I not battled my Positive.”

“Whatchu mean?”

“During the grand climax of our unforgettable quest, Avatar Aang and I battled for the fate of the universe. That was only before my phantom betrayed me and joined with Arceus himself. I joined forces with Aang… and gained the most amazing sensation. At that moment… it seemed our hearts were as one. A single entity of perfect balance, embodied with ultimate power. And my heart felt so… uplifted.”

“Yeah, my mom said you like, _merged_ or somethin’.”

“We did. What we did was called Collision. An extremely rare thing to happen between a Positive and his Negative. When both sides interact, bond, and feel _close_ to each other, they are finally able to come together to form a single, powerful entity. Both their histories, their knowledge, their powers, get melded into a single body. Aang’s emotions became mine, and mine became his… it was wonderful. But a _very_ dangerous connection. Very few Positives and Negatives are seen doing the Collision, because most’s bodies cannot handle the sheer power that results. But Collision or not… melding with Aang _did_ give me a feeling like no other. I truly felt that… our destinies were linked in one way or another. We were of the same entity… and the same heart. And since then, I thought that, even if both halves don’t Collide, they can still feel that connection.”

“But if you’re in this world, Aang’s in the other… aren’t you ever afraid something will happen to him? And you’ll die?”

“98% of people in the universe are unaware of Positives or Negatives… though knowing my life is bound to Aang’s, I know it will not change fate through his or my safety. I can still go on, as though I still don’t know of his existence… and I am still in jail all the same. Whatever fate comes for me will be a fault of my own, should I be unprepared for it. I would hope… Aang is following the same philosophy.”

“Hmmmm… so what you’re saying is, human lives are human lives.” Nerehc sighed. “We live, we get warped to dimensions, we die, either by accident or intentional means. Looking back, I _did_ walk into that Minish Portal, I dunno what Cheren’s end of the story is, but the decision was mine all the same. I guess, no matter how our worlds are divided… destiny is all the same, huh?”

“Yes… and I was forced into suspended animation the same as Aang was, regardless. I don’t know what your relationship is with Cheren – or how on Earth you managed to get here, but extraordinary things can happen when a Positive bonds with their Negative.”

“You’re probably right… then I guess I should quit fighting with Cheren and, just get him to help get me outta this dimension.”

“If you can find the way out of here, of course.”

“Oh _this_ world is no problem.” He smirked. And on that cue, the Zoni zapped Nerehc out of this plane of existence.

“…Mind lending me a hand, too?” Gnaa asked them.

 _“ONLY SIRE. You must staaaaaay.”_ And they were gone as well.

“Siiigh… well, that was disappointing. Guess I should break out of here soon. I wonder if Naruto finished that cake for me, yet..”

 _And that’s why Nerehc ultimately decides to help Cheren in his grand battle against Majora. To see the rest of this exciting tale, go back and read_ Operation: MASKED _. You’ll see how EVERYTHING ties together. Speaking of tying things together, let’s finish the others’ story._

**HcorbNud Kingdom; -800 years ago**

“NYAAAAAAAHHHH!” As if this hadn’t occurred enough lately, Ininap plummeted down the vortex and landed in the middle of town, attracting the confused attention of townspeople. “…Um… he he he… excuse me.” Pretending nothing happened, Ininap tip-toed into an alleyway. “Siiigh… Ay’m never gonna find Nerehc like this. Everything that’s happening… Ay’ll end up staying here forever. Hmmm… what am I going to do.”

“Ya look a little down. Are ya lost?”

“Huh?” Ininap turned and found a girl about her age, with long, shiny smooth orange hair, a green dress, and blue eyes. “AAAAAH!” Both screamed at the top of their lungs.

“Wh-Wh-Wh-What??” the girl stuttered.

“Y-Y-Y-Ye SCARED me!”

“Ya scared ME!”

“Well, if ya hadn’t SCREAMED!”

“I screamed ‘cause YOU did!”

“I DID NOT!”

“AAAAAH!”

“Mmmp!” Both clapped their mouths shut. “….Eh hehehehehehe.” They blushed and laughed sheepishly.

“Eeeemm… sorry.” Ininap scratched her head. “Ay’ve just been through a lot lately.”

“Like falling out of a hole in the sky?”

“Y-Yes… Ay came here looking for my friend; it’s a really long story—the short version is, Ay have no idea where he is, and _now_ I’m starting to have doubt of ever finding him.”

“W…Would ya like me to help?”

“Siiigh… Ay don’t think it matters now. Besides, the last people I asked to help, I think they’re in trouble now. Do you, perhaps, have a place I can stay for a while?”

“Ya can come over to my treehouse. Ay’m sure the guys won’t mind, but they’re um… well, they’re awfully nice.”

“Ay’d like to come over there, please. Ay really need to… refresh myself.”

“OK. Come this way, please.” She warmly took Ininap’s hand and leads her outside town, to the distant Arabian palace. “My name’s Adirem, by the way… Ay’m the princess.”

“W-Wow! Ay’m Ininap. Ay’m… well, a servant.”

“Well, that’s okay. Ay won’t order you around any.”

“Hehe, okay. There’s only one person I’d like to serve, anyway…”

**Year -2031; outside HcorbNud Kingdom**

The battle was over as far as Adaras was concerned. Already packed-up (though she never really unpacked) and returning to the R.E.P.M.A.C.S.. As she prepared to step in, her teammates appeared behind her out of thin air. “Where’re you going? We’re just gonna let your dad take that girl?” Iadakihs asked.

“What’s your plan? Go up against a master timebender like my father? How d’you plan to do that?” she replied.

“Well-… with _your_ timebending.”

“I know we barely know this girl, but a prank is no fun when we never see the victim again.” Nijoni said.

“If that’s what you think, you never should’ve suggested we come here in the first place.” Adaras stated.

“We thought, since your dad was the master timebender, he could see where Nerehc ended up… or something. And we didn’t even get that outta him. Besides, I know gods don’t really give a hoot what happens in our world, but I thought the Time God chose carefully when he gave people his powers. Don’t you think he wouldn’t’ve given ‘em to your dad without reason?”

“…No.” Adaras stared at her hand. “According to my father, most timebenders – however few there may be, have a sense of morality and balance. But our chi is different than other timebenders. It’s a kind of… _unnatural_ chi that certain timebenders get their hands on, even if they’re undeserving. Sometimes, these benders slip Dialga’s vision, so he has to do extra recon checks for people that have it. Depending on how they use the power, he might put tabs on them. But because this is the Negaverse, he hasn’t searched in here very well. Anyway, it’s no use trying to fight ‘im.”

“But why not? It’s not like he’s a Logia.”

“No, but it doesn’t do well to waste energy over minor, maybe impossible tasks—even that girl. Even our village’s BEST ninjas know what they’re up against, and when to quit. Often times, it’s better to save ourselves.”

“Well, you gotta hand it to our parents, they were total losers, but they never quit.” Iadakihs said. “And we are too, that’s why we prank everyone. But not the kind of pranksters that leave someone for dead. You sure we can’t go back for her?”

“…No.” Adaras boarded the R.E.P.M.A.C.S. without another glance to them. Exchanging saddened expressions, Iadakihs and Nijoni merely followed their leader and started up its engines, flying back for Exposed Twig. The leader had made her decision and wasn’t planning to come back. Not in 800 years… or even 5 months.

**HcorbNud; Sector BD Treehouse**

“Umm… h-h-h-hellooooo, everyooooone.” That was probably the softest greeting anyone could give as they come in a room, and that was Merida.

“PRINCEEEEEESS!” Clearly nerds still existed in this age, ‘cause that was Merida’s three sectormates. The fat one, Rubra, wore circle classes, the skinny and flabby one, Stephen Nehpets, wore half-moon spectacles, and the most intelligent one, Eilliw, wore big square glasses.

Nehpets zipped over first, “H-h-h-h-h-h-hi, Princess, who is your-” Rubra shot over and pushed him away.

“Yo, what up, I’m Rubra, pleasure to meet yours. Ehhhh, acquaintance.” He held a hand out to Ininap.

“He-he-he-he… hi.” She grinned and shook his hand timidly.

“Oh, please do excuse my fellows’ adherability, it is quite an annoying, and _sad_ gesture.” Eilliw told her with a smooth look behind his glasses. “But if you must know, _I_ am engaged to Her Royal Highness.”

“No he’s noooot! It’s me!” Nehpets yelled.

“No, it’s me!” Rubra countered.

“G-G-Guys, stop it, stop it! I don’t want to think about marriage until Ay’m 16—I mean you’re _all_ really great guys, I just need time to decide.” Adirem told them with a blushed face.

“Well, when are ya gonna??”

“Ay don’t know, Ay don’t knooooowwwww!! Can we please just get some food for my friend?”

“Sure, sure. Nothing’s healthier than a fresh bowl of cabbage stew!” Nehpets beamed before going to the kitchen.

They settled at the table and fixed up cabbage soup for each person, as well as a few bread pieces. The soup packed little flavor and strength, making it easily swallowable for Ininap. “So, ahhh, Princess, you never told us where you found her.” Nehpets said.

“I-I found her downtown. She came out of… w-where _did_ you say you’re from again?”

“W-Well, first… uhhhh, what year is it?”

“I believe our _current_ cycle is 1212.” Eilliw answered.

“Well, this may be a wee bit hard to take, but… Ay’m from the Year 2031.”

“HUU!!” they gasped.

“So time-traveling is REAL?!” Nehpets exclaimed. “How do you do it?!”

“It-It-It-It wasn’t me, it was… a _time_ bender. Named… Menma.”

“Menma? Sounds like a soup ingredient.” Nehpets replied.

“W-Well, whatever he is, he sent me back in time, and I, I don’t know if he’ll let me come back. Siiigh… Ay don’t think it matters. Soon, Sipa’s just gonna send more people to find Nerehc, and that’s IF he doesn’t find a way back on his own, all I am is a disposable minion. A useless slave that… shows no worth to her master.”

“W-Well… maybe that’s just how it is, then.” Adirem said. “I’ve always felt that.. everyone had set destinies and there wasn’t anythin’ you can do to change them. Maybe you coming here means you were meant to be away from Nerehc. Be away from anything that reminds you of him.”

“But I…I just feel incomplete without Nerehc. I wonder if… he’ll even miss me.”

“Ahh, you’ll be fine, Lass.” Adirem smiled, touching her shoulder. “There’s plenty of fun stuff to do here. _Safe_ … fun stuff. A day or two, you’ll be over Nerehc in no time.”

“Siiiigh… I hope so. What did ya have in mind first?”

**Out in the deserts**

“WHEEEEEEE!” It really was among the most joy Ininap had in her life. Sitting between both humps of a camel on a soft cushion, curtain roofs over each of them as they calmly strode through the desert. “Ha ha ha ha! This really is fun! The humps really help keep yer balance and they sure aren’t as bumpy as horses!”

“Ay know.” Adirem smiled. “It’s fun to ride them to the oasis for their daily drinks. And this route usually doesn’t have those scary sand creatures, so we can avoid getting into a fight.”

They arrived at the oasis before too long, so while the camels got their drink, the kids used long sticks with blades at the end to cut fruit from trees. “Um- Um- Um-, I may need some help here.” Ininap stuttered, her stick shaking as she held it up. “I-I-I-I’m afraid-” Cut a mango, “Eeeeek!” She braced for impact as it fell on her head.

Adirem was also shuddering. “Aiiii’p!” Several bananas fell from the tree. “…W-W-Well, we got ‘em.”

“ _Pleeeeaaase_ Princess, here is one with the _real_ mastery of removing fruit from trees.” Eilliw readied a bow and took aim at coconuts. “Enn. Enn. Enn. Enn.” It was questionable he was trying to hit them, because look at how far off they were.

Nehpets struggled to lift up a club, and with utter weakness, he hit it against a tree. …The whole thing fell straight on him, and as he rose from the leaves, birds swirling ‘round his head, a watermelon smashed over and became his mask.

Ininap picked up her mango and loaded it in the camel’s sack. Er, satchel. “W-Well, it’s nice to get stuff to eat, but em, I’m not really a fan of… cutting stuff.”

“You don’t really have to, Lass. Me mum usually handles it for us, she’s a real pro.” Adirem told her.

“Sh-She is?”

**Castle kitchen**

“YA BETCHER sweet bottom, Lassie.” proclaimed Queen Ronile, a slim, messy-haired woman with thick warrior’s clothing, chopping the coconuts in perfect halves with her axe and slices apples and pineapples to pieces with knives in seconds. “So you little runts better eat yer fill if ya want those wee bods to grow buff and masculine.” She let the fruit pieces scatter on the table.

“Ehehehehehe. Me mum’s got a wee bit more warrior in her compared to other people.” Adirem smiled sheepishly. “She scares me sometimes. I wish she’d be a bit more gentle.”

“Well, if ya were a bit more like me, Lass, ya wouldn’t be afraid to stuff yerself more and not bother with these li-l boys. But yer me daughter, Lass, and I love ya!” She pinched her daughter’s cheek, giving Adirem a bruise. “Ay’ll be back with the dessert if ya want some.” The strong-willed queen marched off. The five kids began to eat.

“…Hehehe.” Ininap giggled with a blush.

“W-What’s funny?”

“Well, i-it’s just nice to know there’s someone else who gets as timid as I do. It’s like we’re… long-lost sisters or somethin’. Matter of fact, me mum’s the same way—like me, that is—and you.. kind of look like her.”

“Wow, that’s somethin’. I wonder why that is.”

Now, the immediate conclusion would be that Adirem is her ancestor. But since this is the Negaverse, that conclusion does not come as soon. Plus, it’s a parallel dimension, so they aren’t technically related. “Who knows. But I love havin’ someone that feels the same way about stuff I do. Back then, Ay didn’t have anyone except bullies who.. picked on me. Of course, Nerehc was around, and he also…”

“We were never one of the bravest countries, anyway. ‘t’s okay, though. What do ya want to do next?”

“Ay don’t know… what do ya do around here?”

“W-W-W-W-We could dig in the sand for buried treasure.” Nehpets stuttered.

“Oh. Th-That sounds fun…”

**Later..**

Who says you couldn’t have fun while being safe, argues Ininap? ‘Cause for Sector BD, that’s what life was all about. The friends wore large sunhats and returned out to the desert as they dug around the sand with mini shovels. It wasn’t the most efficient way of looking for treasure in a giant desert, but technology was still pretty unadvanced, and at least it was safe. Except when Rubra stumbled upon a tiny Aracha, which latched onto his back and he ran around for several minutes trying to get it off.

Afterwards, they returned to the treehouse so an exciting race could take place. Not between horses, not between camels, rabbits, or puppies… but between slow, simple turtles. All five stood in a row at one end of the living room, and the flag was waved before they all marched off. The suspense, the excitement was great. All five kept neck-n-neck, none knew whose neck would cross first. They couldn’t take their eyes off them, there was just no predicting. An hour-and-a-half later, Nehpets’ turtle came in victory. The five kids were already asleep.

The next activity was debatably safe, but they settled with it: fishing. The palace courtyard had a pond with many small, happy fish swimming freely. They sat on the walkway crossing through the middle and held fishing poles. None of the fish looked big enough to pull them in the water, so it didn’t look too risky. Nehpets yanked up a greengill, which knocked him out upon colliding with his face. Adirem caught a catfish, which made her shoot to the sky like a rocket at how fast it flew out. A skippyjack flew out toward Eilliw, stopped in midair beside his face, and dealt a few quick tail-slaps before going back. Rubra caught a pike on his lure, and when it flew up, it whooshed around and around his head to tie the rope around him, then returned. Finally, Ininap pulled up a tiny Esenihc frightfish, which looked so tiny and terrified in her giant hands, she smiled to assure it was safe.

The next second, Ininap went flying for smiles from the fish’s surprisingly powerful upper-cut.

After she got a single tiny band-aid on her arm, Ininap and the kids met in Adirem’s room for a pre-bedtime slumber party. They played Truth or Dare without the Dare, because the boys always dared Adirem to kiss them, and they only had to tell non-embarrassing truths. They played Duck Duck Goose where they had to let the person know before they were tagged, and they could only walk slowly, not run. Then the night was concluded with a slow, very gentle pillow scuffle.

The boys went to sleep in their own rooms, but since Ininap had no place to sleep, she shared a bed with Adirem. Snug and warm under opposite sides of the blanket. Today was the most fun Ininap’s ever had in her life. She wouldn’t want it to end…

And it didn’t end, ‘cause the next day, they returned out to the desert to get fruit from the trees. Adirem’s mom chopped them up, scaring the girls, then let them feast, and they went out searching for buried treasure before Rubra was attacked by an Aracha. They watched the turtle race anxiously before falling asleep, then had quiet, simple fishing which the fish made not so simple. Night fell for their pre-slumber slumber party, engaging in nice simple games, then they went to sleep.

The next day they rode their camels to the oasis for fruit – for a moment Ininap thought she was taller and her chest expanded, but it must’ve been the desert heat ‘cause they were still the same when they came back. They ate the fruit, searched for buried treasure (Rubra was attacked by an Aracha), watched a turtle race, fell asleep, got attacked by fish, pre-slumber party, and sleep.

The next day, they rode out to the oasis – Ininap almost slipped off her camel she was so tall – collected fruit, returned (or maybe she wasn’t), watched Ronile chop it up, ate, looked for treasure, Aracha ambush, watched turtles race, went fishing, attacked by fish, slumber party, then sleep.

The next day, they rode out to the oasis – but returned when the camels, and oddly themselves, felt as feeble and wrinkly as old people, but felt energetic again when they returned, ate some spare fruit out of the fridge, treasure-hunting, saving Rubra from Aracha, turtle races, fishing, slumbertime, and party. Wait- reverse that.

Next morning, they rode to the oasis – returned ‘cause they were tired, spare fruit, treasure, Aracha, turtles, boredom, fish, attacked, slumber games, slumber. Next morning, oasis, returned, food, treasure, turtles, fish, party, sleep. Then again, and again, and again, and again—so many times, Patrick Stewart asked for time off ‘cause this was getting really boring. But the next day, and the next day, it starts all over again, then again…

Then after like, a million days, we lost count. So let’s just say we’re on Day Two-hundred-and-ninety-four when the team set off for the desert on camels again.

“’ey, what’s wrong, Inap? You look a little down today.” Adirem said.

“Ay don’t know… my life feels a little… repetitive lately. Don’t ya think we’re being too… predictable?”

“Predictability, in which one performs recurring maneuvers or routines.” Eilliw replied. “And yet, I feel as though I barely knew you long at all.”

“Siiiigh. Ay don’t know if I wanna go to oasis today.” She slowed her camel to a halt.

“OK. We’ll just get extras for ya.” Adirem offered as her team proceeded forward. “Should’ve brought my helmet, but I guess we’ll make-” In a split second, the kids and their camels morphed into bones and collapsed.

“HUU!!!” Ininap was ready to collapse into bones herself. The friends that had taken her in when she was lost… gone just like that. Death’s cruel shadow gave no warnings. Even when out of the blue. Inap climbed off her camel and carefully approached the spot they collapsed. She reached her arm forward, and as a faint blue aura appeared from her fingers, the flesh of her hand turned bone. _“Mmmmmp!”_ She yanked it back quickly, and it changed back. She never felt more afraid, never felt a greater amount of adrenaline. Sector BD was dead, as though eons of aging caught up with them. And had she stepped any farther, the same would’ve happened to her.

Ininap left her camel and ran straight for the palace, moving faster than her feeble little legs would’ve taken her. Everything fell dead silent around her; she was ignorant to any possible life-forces in town or in the flora, her mind only focused on the dead clumps of skeletons. She raced into the passage to BD Treehouse, climbed so fast her senses were nonexistent, and back into the living room.

“Hey, Ininap!”

“GYAAAAAAHHHH!” And why wouldn’t her heart stop now, when Sector BD appeared.

“OW—uhhhh please don’t do that.” Nehpets flinched.

“W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-What are you DOING here? Ye-Ye-Ye-Ye-Ye-Ye just… DIED.”

“Uhhhh, heheh… weird joke, Nap.” Rubra chuckled.

“Inap, is everything all right?” Adirem asked, noticing her friend’s rapid shuddering.

“YOU ALL JUST DIED!! We were walking to the oasis, you ALL turned into skeletons, and NOW you’re here! H-H-H-HOW are you ALIVE?”

“Well uh, we’ve _always_ been alive. E-E-Especially since Lord Menma came, he…” Nehpets scratched his head.

“M-M-… _Menma?”_

“The one who took over as king and brought prosperity to HcorbNud, yeah…” Adirem replied.

“B-B-But, you didn’t _know_ about Menma when we met, w-w-when did he show up here?”

“Ay don’t know… we lose track of time pretty easy.”

 _“Hnnn!”_ No sooner did Ininap rush back down the secret passage, and in through the castle’s front gates. Many large, marble halls did she run, up many flights of stairs, until she ran forth down the vast throne room.

And there was that very same black-haired man in the kitsune mask. _“You look suddenly troubled. You looked like you were very much enjoying your life here until now.”_

“Wh-Wh-What have you _done_ to this place? How…How long have I BEEN here?”

_“Long enough to help you realize. Using my timebending, I have locked this town within an indefinite Time Stasis. The same fashion seen with Timeshift Stones. As long as its citizens remain within the confines of the bubble, they will live. And should they leave, I can bring them back. Over and over again.”_

“S-S-So this town… _is trapped in an infinite loop?”_

_“But not one they are blind to. Nor one where outsiders are unable to visit. Because of the order I’ve created… the people in this kingdom have led happy, healthy, **endless** lives. And as you can plainly tell… Positives are removed from the equation. Their relevance is futile.”_

“But this…this isn’t _normal_. We’re just… _repeating_. Over and over again. What year _is_ it exactly?”

_“I don’t know. It could be 1700s… could be four-thousand-and-fifty. What matters is you are in peace. If a fish can be happy, swimming loop after loop, mindlessly inside a bowl, unaware of life or death… can’t we?”_

“N-N-… no! I-I just… wanted to find _Nerehc_! I’ve been running around in circles, all for… w-why are you _doing_ this? What have any of these people done to you?”

 _“…It’s not what HcorbNud has done… but the Positives! Look at me…_ I’m a WRECK!” He ripped off his mask, exposing a face that looked to belong to a 17-year-old boy, with lovely blue eyes and strange whiskers.

“Hu!”

“My name is Menma Ikamuzu, and my Positive was Naruto Uzumaki. I’ve always known about the connection between Positives and Negatives.” His voice sounded fairly young, too. “I came to the Posiverse to see him, only to find out he had already sacrificed himself in battle! No body to be found… no trace of him at all! I haven’t _aged_ for 19 years… I was forced to use my TIMEBENDING in order to mate with Arukas! But changing my age weakens my timebending, so I couldn’t stay changed forever. So I’ve been a standout… an unreal anomaly!”

Ininap quivered as Menma began to pace around her coolly, his voice still livid. “Since then I’ve suffered… WONDERING what kept me from sharing my Positive’s fate, wondering when and where I would finally end the delay and DIE. Then more than ever… I knew that Positives couldn’t be trusted! Our lives were bound to them… we had no say, we were forced to go wherever they went. But now I can’t even track my Positive, I’m the only one who stayed in my own world, but EVERY day I wonder when he’ll finally kick the bucket. But it was because of Positives… that a good, simple town like this had to die. So using my timebending, I revived this town, born anew while their Positives remain dead. Thanks to me… everyone can live in peace. I may not be able to alter my own age, but I can still give these people the life they deserve. No longer will they have to worry about dying because of someone outside their control. The gods disconnected us from them as a means of balance, and yet we still share their life-force. Well… not anymore. Finally… we _can_ be disconnected. We can be our own, whole person…”

“But if we’re just repeating like this, nothing’s getting done. Time is just… _frozen_. No new things can happen, no new advances… maybe the reason a Negative needs their Positive… is because something like _this_ can happen.”

“What are you implying?!”

“You’re so afraid a-and absorbed with anger because there’s no one to balance you out. Ay’ve never met my Positive, but I, well maybe things could be _different_ for me if I have.”

“Even if that means relying on your Positive for existence? Even if you would lose balance in yourself, thanks to me, you don’t have to worry. I’ve given you indefinite life. A limbo where such imbalance could never happen. Your Positive will die on her own, while you can exist forever.”

“But…But it’s not JUST the Positives. We have other friends, too— **I** have other friends. I only wanted to find Nerehc… I can’t stand being apart from him for this long. It’s like… _we’re_ the Positive and Negative of each other. Someone besides the literal thing that can balance you out.”

“That’s even MORE ridiculous.” Menma snarled. “Even if we needed Positives, how could some OTHER person fulfill that role? I stopped believing in bonds between people, ever since Arukas and my village began to shun me for the unaging mutant I was. Surprised she acknowledged me enough to tell Adaras I was her father… but one day, they’ll come to thank me. I will grow stronger with my timebending as time passes. I can keep myself alive, regardless of my Positive’s life or death, but those of my homeland will die. I will revive them just like I have this kingdom, and in time, I will be able to encase the whole world in my Time Stasis. No one will ever have to fear of death, let alone an afterlife where even the Reapers won’t seek our souls. Bonds between people or no bonds, that won’t be what keeps people happy, it’ll be ME.”

“Going every day the rest of my life without Nerehc? Ay just can’t _imagine_ anything like that. I…I want to go back to him!”

“Very well, then tell me. You care about this Nerehc so much, but does he care about you? How do you know his life isn’t going on just fine without a cowering worm like you?”

“A-Ay… well, maybe he would be just fine. He’s strong enough ta get ‘imself out of anythin’, and ‘e has feelings for someone else… but I don’t think he would feel the same, either. And I…I pledged my loyalty to him.”

_At just 5 years old, Nerehc was going to his first day of kindergarten. He had just met Pablo, who happily strummed a cool guitar theme for him, and was exploring the playground for other possible servants. Then he saw a bunch of kids watching a pony-tailed girl nervously step to a cliff._

_“W-W-Will I really fly, i-if I jump off?”_

_“Ponytails like yours, sure you can! You’ll flap like a helicopter!” one of the big kids proclaimed, before they all snickered devilishly._

_So many things could go wrong with this plan. She could not fly, and take a tremendous fall to her death. She could fly, and go too high, to the stars where she’d suffocate. Or fly into a helicopter and be chopped to bits, her blood raining everywhere. But… she would try. “O-O-Okay.” Taking a few steps back, she wobbled forth and took the weak, skimpy leap._

_A boy zipped by on rocket shoes of purple flames, setting her back on the ground. “What were you thinking?! Unless you’re a mutant, airbender, or space or something, HUMANS can’t fly!!”_

_“B-B-But those boys said-”_

_“What boys? The ones serving as my man-made barbeque over there?” The bullies were on the ground, dark as overcooked steak. “If you listen to just what any idiot tells you, you’re gonna wind up dead.” With that, he walked away._

_“B-B-But, how do I know which ones I should listen to?” She followed him a bit before slipping to her knees._

_“I dunno,” he turned back to her, “ones that’d like to keep you around for some extra hands? If you were a decent servant, I’d love to keep you around.” He began to walk away again, until Ininap followed him on her knees._

_“C-C-Can I be your servant?”_

_“I dunno, you look a little spineless. ‘specially if you don’t even use your feet.”_

_Ininap stood up and bowed, “A-A-Ay can be your servant. Ah’ll do whatever you ask, and I’ll never be against ya. Just protect me from all the big, scary kids.”_

_“Hmmmm. Well, you’d barely be a servant if I can’t beat you around every now and again.”_

_“B-But, you wouldn’t let me_ die _, would ya?”_

_“Nah, sure, of course not. Now carry my lunchbox.” He dropped the box in her hands._

_“O-O-Okay.” She grinned with a weak face._

_Then 3 years later, Nerehc became Supreme DNK Leader, and was speaking with Ydolem, whom they considered spiritual cousins even though they had no blood connection. “I’ve been learning under my mother, and I’m a terrific secret-keeper. If_ you _have a secret, it’ll be safe with me.” Her white eyes surrounded-by-black creeped Inap out._

_“…Alright… well…” So Nerehc leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “I really want to…” and despite his hushed voice, Ininap was listening close, and could hear every word._

_“Okay… I won’t tell anyone.” Ydolem said with a loving face. But then that secret was prevented from being spoken by anyone when it was transferred to a Secret Sack, then inside Hsa. No one else but she and Ininap would know…_

“Nerehc…Nerehc really is kind. He would hate it if… I weren’t around for him. Y-Y-YOU’LL take me back right now!!”

“Or _what_? Is Nerehc going to come save you? I encourage him to…”

“In that case, we’ll let him know, but we were in the middle of looking for him.” At that moment, Adaras came down from above and stomped Menma in the back of the head, flying him several feet. The surprise made her heart begin racing as she looked at the ninja girl, who stood proudly. Menma got up, snarling furiously, until gushes of water and fireballs flew from several directions and took him down again.

Iadakihs and Nijoni landed beside Ininap and helped her up. “You didn’t think we would leave you, did you?” asked the former.

“W-W-Where did you guys come from?”

“I have timebending, too.” Adaras said. “The three of us honed our skills for a few months before I warped us all back to save you. Just leave Whisker-Face to us.”

“Only a few months, hm? Hmph.” Menma scoffed. “We’ll see what good THAT GETS YOU!” (Play “Kokuten” from _Naruto: Shippuden_.)

Menma vanished in a flash, and Ininap cowered when the three kids scattered. Menma appeared in front of Nijoni as the latter pelted fireballs, Menma defending before he zipped behind Nijoni, the boy whipping around and thrusting a Flame Punch that blew Menma back. But it seemed that Menma was a blue Time Clone, and the real Menma came from the side and kicked Nijoni away. He was suddenly encased in a water bubble created by Iadakihs, facing the boy as he wore a witty smirk, and was caught off guard again when Adaras shot through the bubble and kicked Menma upside the face. As Menma recovered, he saw that was a blue Time Clone, was kicked from the left by a green clone, then punched away by the current Adaras.

Nijoni and Iadakihs stood together and attacked him with both elements, but Menma recovered and escaped once again. He stood several feet away as he conjured a spiraling dark sphere, Adaras grabbing Ininap before the four jumped away when it came, swallowing several meters of radius in an explosion. Adaras landed on a pillar with Inap, but gasped when Menma came from behind and smashed another sphere into the pillar, blowing the girls away. But the real Adaras grabbed Inap safely while the Time Clone fell, and Iadakihs grabbed Menma’s legs in a water tentacle while he was still in midair, and whirled and slammed the man onto the ground. But this turned out to be a Time Clone, and Menma landed on Iadakihs from higher above and smashed him with terrific force.

Menma looked as Nijoni was conjuring lightning in his fingertips, but became distracted when various Adaras clones warped around every direction, confusing him greatly as he tried to strike them. But this allowed Nijoni to charge the lightning enough and blast Menma, only for the older ninja to open a Time Portal and suck the bolt inside. He spun another darkball and shot it at Nijoni, who dodged as Iadakihs attempted to smash Menma with Water Fists, but he flipped onto the liquid fists, to Iadakihs, and dealt rapid punches against him before sending the boy away. He defended when Adaras attacked from behind, the two exchanging a sequence of punches and kicks, then morphing into Time Clones as both current selves got atop the clones and continued. Those two morphed into clones as well, and the next current selves ran directly up in midair via each other’s feet, both jumping away and hurling kunai knives that passed the other, and struck their opponent in the arm. As both fell to the floor, they morphed into clones: Menma got under Adaras’s, Adaras under Menma’s, and threw their fists up to punch.

Both relatives glared at each other, gasping for breath. In a blink, they both began throwing kicks at each other in many areas of the throne room, afterwards running along the wall as they shoved each other, then zipped down to the throne room’s center where they clashed with kunai. They jumped separate directions from each other as Iadakihs and Nijoni charged at Menma together, but the man looked up as his Time Portal appeared in the air, and struck the two with Nijoni’s lightning.

“Hnn! …” Menma saw Ininap a few feet away, on her knees and her hands folded in prayer. “What are you doing?”

“Ah-Ay’m… praying for a miracle.”

“You look more ridiculous every minute. It’s more than a known fact that the Negaverse has no gods. Anyone who’d still pray… who’s gonna hear it? What god will bother to listen?...”

Instead of an answer, a sudden whirlwind blew him up in the air, followed by a boulder that flew and sent him several meters. Menma kicked the stone away upon landing, glaring at his new assaulters. Six new children, three boys and three girls, were his opponents. “Wh-Who are… they?” asked Inap.

“Sector -V!” Adaras exclaimed with shock.

“Th…Them?” They sure weren’t the -V Ininap was used to.

“Yeah. Some of our best benders, too.” Nijoni mentioned.

“We came over ‘soon as we got your distress call.” Yrrah Onu told them.

“We did?”

“Ohhhhh that’s right, our past selves sent the call and we agreed to meet them here back in time, remember?” Iadakihs reminded.

“Oh yeah, I totally forgot.”

“Perfect timing. Let’s take this guy down!” Adaras declared before lunging for Menma. (Play “Emergence of Talents” from _Naruto_.)

Menma quickly made a series of swift hand-movements before planting his left hand on the ground. “Svāhā: Nine Masked Beasts!” Out of a puff of smoke, Menma summoned nine monsters with his kitsune mask, sending them at the operatives. Yrrah flew forward using psychicbending while Eillek Seltaeb slithered through the ground via Shadow Veil, emerging behind the White Tiger and sending her shadow to grab its hind legs. The tiger snarled and about-faced to attack her, but Eillek leapt and kicked off its face, and as she flew away from it, she pulled her shadow while it still held the tiger’s legs, yanking him backward onto the ground.

The Death God – a Grim Reaper-like monster with a scythe, flew at Etselec Krots, who pelted fireballs at him before he lashed his scythe, Etselec flying overhead with Rocket Boost and blasting a stream of flames directly down. When she landed, the reaper flew around and grabbed her face in attempt to drain her chi, but was saved when Namurt Namrik punched Light Spheres and stunned the dark spirit. Samoht Yksvolird flew around using a glider with airbending while the Suzaku – a bird with long tail-feathers, chased him, lashing its tails while Samoht swiftly avoided and blasted air gusts. Samoht flew down before shooting directly up and stabbing the bird with his pointed glider, keeping up higher before the Tennyo – an angelic maiden with flowing robes, stretched her ribbons to wrap Samoht and yank him back down.

Assilem Nagillig faced the Black Tortoise, Genbu, stomping her bare feet on the ground to fling boulders to try and crack its armored shell, dodging to the right when the turtle spun around and shot at her. When it came for the rebound, Assilem stomped a rock-jab beneath and flew him onto his back, then raised another boulder to smash its belly. Yrrah chucked Psycho Spheres at the Northern and Southern Sages, who blasted magic spells before conjuring a purple cylindrical barrier above and attempting to trap him, Yrrah warping away before this happened. He was then wrapped tight by the Golden Snake, Kinja, who began squeezing the juices out of him until Iadakihs sliced it with waterbending, allowing Yrrah to escape.

Iadakihs stretched water tentacles over his arms and lashed them at Kinja, the snake attempting to gnash them before he succeeded on the left arm, the water splashing around his mouth before Iadakihs froze it shut. The rest of the tentacle still connected to Iadakihs as he pulled the snake over, leapt forward, and slammed a water hammer on his solid gold head. Etselec punched fireballs at the Azure Dragon, a seahorse-like dragon, before the creature countered with a stream of sapphire flames, encasing Etselec in a firewall. She looked up when Nijoni flew over with rockets, landing on the dragon’s head and keeping hold like a seahorse while he stabbed it with fire daggers. He wrapped arms around its neck when it opened its mouth to charge energy. He forced the dragon to face Etselec before the girl thrusted both fists and blasted twin flame beams down its throat, causing the dragon to explode.

The Death God opened his robe and unleashed a swarm of pitch-black bats, all swarming around Namurt as he tried to ignite bright lights and scare them off. They kept him swallowed in darkness as the reaper approached and raise his scythe for the final strike, until Yrrah sent Psycho Spheres to blow the demon away. This gave Namurt enough time to explode a bright light and scare the bats away, and kept that sphere expanding. Seeing the Death God recover with a rage, Namurt let the Light Sphere fly, obliterating the spirit in its brightness.

Samoht was unable to escape the Tennyo’s binds, but Assilem flew sharp rocks that sliced her ribbons, Samoht immediately taking to the air again. Tennyo extracted sharp, bladed angel wings and lashed at Assilem’s ankles, the girl throwing her arms up to make a rock platform rise her several feet, and the angel began slicing layer after layer of the pillar. Assilem dislodged the top layer of her pillar, lifted it in midair, and forced it against the angel’s head to send her sliding across the floor. Before she recovered, Assilem raised twin pointed boulders and stabbed through Tennyo’s wings, pinning them to the ground.

Eillek kept appearing and sinking around many parts of the ground, tricking the White Tiger into trying to catch her like a shiny light. Eillek later came behind and trapped the tiger in Shadow Possession, running the direction of the Sages and jumping in the South Sage’s way of its Killing Curse, destroying the tiger. Eillek exchanged glances with Yrrah before they ran separate ways around the Sages. The North Sage created a large purple square shield and pushed it to Yrrah, who made a psychic barrier and countered with equal slow force. When both barriers shattered, Yrrah created a cylindrical barrier around the Sage’s waist, beginning to squeeze it. Meanwhile, Eillek blew Shadow Breath at the South Sage’s face, blinding his vision as Eillek caught him in a Shadow Shockwave. Her shadow flew out and began tearing at its face, the same time Yrrah exploded his barrier and destroyed the North Sage.

Watching their sheer victory put an assuring smile on Ininap’s face. “It’s not over, yet!” But that smile vanished when she saw that Menma was holding a massive dark sphere above his head. “I’ll destroy all of you in a single strike!”

“Oh yeah?” But at the same time, Adaras created a spiraling blue sphere that was just as large, using the combined works of her Time Clones focusing energy on one spot. “We’ll see about that!”

“Great Spiraling RING!” Menma ran forth.

“Massive RASENGAN!” Adaras kept hold on the giant sphere and came at him. The very world seemed to slow in time as both forces were inches from colliding. Everyone was blinded by the whiteness that resulted. (End song.)

The great marble palace that was the core of HcorbNud Kingdom vanished in a tremendous explosion. The wind blew across HcorbNud for roughly 10 minutes, swallowing it in fog.

One at a time, the denizens of the castle fell from the sky, laying shocked, motionless, but nary a scratch on the ground. “YAAAAAH!” cried the buff, but cowardly King Sugref, leaping into his wife’s arms. “Ay thought Ay put an embargo on those scary explosives, what ‘appened to our house, Ronny???”

“Oh, get yerself a backbone, ya wee piggy.”

It took some time before the members of Sector -V and LG managed to find each other. Ininap helped Adaras stand and walk, since the girl had burnt out all energy. In the smoke, Sector BD managed to find them as well. “I-Ininap. W-W-What is going on? . . .” Adirem stuttered.

“Ay… don’t worry, Adirem. It’s all over… now…”

“…No. It’s not.” Ininap really felt her heart stop then. The smoke all blew away when Menma appeared with another Great Spiraling Ring. “This time… the lot of you vanish.”

Once again, everything else fell silent as the body of immeasurable power was headed right her way. Death and nonexistence was approaching her, and it was scary. All she could do was fold her hands and pray. If there was one god, any god to hear her… let them come.

The moment Menma’s Spiraling Ring made contact with absolute power and ferocity, a great beam of blue light stretched down from the sky. The dark sphere and all of its power laid nary a mark on the mighty, diamond god that stood before him. “ _No…_ you’re…”

 _“Dialga…”_ Adaras choked whatever breath she could muster.

The four-legged god looked mighty and proud, his purple eyes fixed on Menma. The ninja’s shock, mixed with his extreme exhaust, caused him to faint. Dialga raised his right foot and touched the tip to Menma’s forehead, alighting a lovely blue light. “Why…Why are ya here..” Ininap spoke.

_“The gods hear all prayers, no matter who they’re from. But only when the world is in extreme unbalance do we provide aid. Ininap’s prayer was strong… it was thanks to her I was able to locate this timebender that escaped my vision.”_

“What do ya mean ‘escaped yer vision’?”

_“I did not give Menma, or Adaras timebending. It was something I and Arceus have feared since the very beginning. The existence of a very unusual Time Chi, a presence roaming about the universe, infecting a variety of unworthy timebenders. I cannot keep track of the chi very well, and even when I locate its benders, I cannot even take the chi away. I can only use my own power to put limits on them. Rumpel Stiltskin had this chi, but I made it so he can only use it with his special deals. I never told him this, but—one of my own apprentices possessed this chi, and when I granted him my own during his time as a spirit, it melded with that chi when he came back to life: Jagar King.”_

“A-Are you going to put a limit on Menma?”

 _“There isn’t much I can do at this point… but I think it’s for the best if I reconfigure him. I shall age him 19 years as he’s supposed to be, and remove his memory of Positives.”_ As he spoke, Menma’s pitch-black hair became blonde. _“Until the day he can truly meet his Positive, may his mind be in balance.”_

“But what about… mine?” asked Adaras.

 _“I do not sense evil in you, Girl… much. I will allow you to keep your timebending.”_ The glow vanished as Menma grew taller and older. _“I must return balance to this land as well. All of it will be returned to its normal time. As will you, Child, so you will be able to see your loved one again.”_

“B-B-But, where is Nerehc?”

_“Fate has connected him to his Positive. He landed in the Posiverse upon arriving here. But I sense his adventure is bringing him back to his own world. You must do the same, soon.”_

“Then… he found a way back after all.” Ininap smiled. “He didn’t need me…”

 _“I like to think your thinking of him slowly drew him home as well. But I am a Time God, so naturally I just look at the future, and boom, stuff happens. Funny thing, though. Just recently, Palkia has had to deal with unregistered spacebenders springing up in places. About 20 years ago, it started happening. I happen to know the cause of this, but, let’s let events play out. I must return.”_ Dialga turned and began marching to the wide blue beam. He stopped and turned to the kids for a moment. _“You must forgive us for overseeing the Posiverse more than the Negaverse. The truth is, far more chaos happens there, and far more attention does it need. But we promise you… the gods will be there when you truly need us. Remember that.”_ Dialga proceeded into the portal, and was gone. The great beam expanded and swallowed the entire kingdom of HcorbNud, blinding everyone in blue.

The fog, the city, and Sector BD was gone. All that’s left now was… ruins. “Hmm… Ay never got to say good-bye.” Ininap frowned.

“You became great friends with them, didn’t you?” Adaras asked.

“Y-Yeah… we were fishiiiing, and looking for treasure, Adirem’s mum scared us, then we were fishiiiing, finding treasuuuure, and those boys were—D’OH, it was the most boring time I ever HAD!!! Thank GOD that’s over!”

“I think… we may need some clarification.” Yrrah Onu commented.

“Hey, who’s that?” Nijoni asked, noticing the strange ship coming down for a landing.

Three familiar children to Ininap’s eyes came hurrying out. “HEY, Inap, what are you doing here??”

“H-Hcaz? Yddam? You’re here, too?”

“Heheh, HWOW, what a party this is!” Ikuyim beamed, joining the twins outside as well. “Before you know it, the whole DNK will be here!”

“Did you come here to find Nerehc, too?” Yddam asked.

“Y-Yeah… um, but Dialga said that Nerehc already found a way back!”

“Dialga? The Time God?” Hcaz asked.

“Yes, Ay’ll-…Ay’ll explain later. Erm- Sipa told me what happened, and she used this spell to send me here to find him. …I have this.”

“Hu!” The three gasped when Ininap raised her shirt, showing the Satanic symbol on her back.

“I think it was supposed to send me back after I’ve found Nerehc. But if Nerehc’s going back on his own, I… I’m not sure what Ay can do now.”

“…” Hcaz scratched his chin in thought.

**High Jungle; Kahcrek’s lab**

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!” That was definitely the most painful energy-extraction Ininap’s endured in her life.

“Astonishing, absolutely astonishing!” Kahcrek exclaimed. “This symbol was created with an ancient form of magic used to jump through space itself! Using it to power this machine, I may just be able to not only track the magic to its original source, but FINALLY get this baby up and running! FIRE IT UP, Nazrat!”

At the pull of a lever, the Dimension Transportifier began brimming with energy. It was all transferred to the circular archway, where a spiraling pink portal made its appearance. “If my calculations are correct, this SHOULD take you STRAIGHT back to where the magic came from!”

“It’ll take us… home?” Yddam asked.

“YES, FINALLY, thank goodness!” Daddy exclaimed. “Let’s go home, Dimmy!” He skipped frantically into the spiral, joined by his associate at a slower rate.

“Aww, that’s too bad. I really wanted to explore this world more!” Ikuyim smiled.

“Well, I guess… this is good-bye.” Ininap said to Sector LG. “Thank ya fer helpin’ me, guys. You’ve really… done a lot for me. You and Sector BD.”

“Well, you turned an everyday prank into a wild and crazy adventure, so we’re gonna miss you, too.” Iadakihs winked. “Later, Inap.”

“But I really hope you come back to visit sometime.” Adaras smiled. “We can get you in all kinds of trouble!” ;D

“Ehehehe. Maybe just ta say ‘hi’.”

“Come on, let’s go in already!” Hcaz rushed. “There’s no tellin’ what the Dictator’s done by now, Nerehc’ll need us!”

“R-Right.” Ininap agreed as he and Yddam ran in. “B-Bye, guys! Hope to see you again!” She ran in.

“GIVE IT 5 months or it’ll create a time-paradox!” Adaras yelled.

“Byyyyyye!” Ikuyim joyfully joined her friends.

“Boy, this’ll create one heck of a mission report.” Nijoni knew.

“Yeah.” Iadakihs agreed. “But it’s too bad we won’t get to see this Nerehc guy. Wonder how ‘e got back, anyway.”

**Posiverse; Delightful Mansion From Down the Lane**

It was one heck of an adventure for Cheren, Nerehc, and their friends, but the Dimension Transportifier was up and running, so it was time to go home.

Zach, Maddy, and Bright Idea—whom were turned into monsters since the start of this, were the first to enter the portal, shrinking into the pinkness. The four remaining kids faced their Terminan friends one more time. “Hm…” Cheren smirked. “I’ll come back.”

“I hope you do.” Harry said.

“He’ll have to talk with me about that.” Nerehc stated.

“Ahhh, make it a surprise!” Melissa grinned.

“Hm…” Cheren really didn’t want to leave these kids. Despite the little drama that’s happened, he really enjoyed his time in this world. The whole adventure was exciting. And traveling with them made it even better. He hoped to see them again. And he could tell, they felt the same way, too.

The four kids stepped into the spiraling vortex, smiling and waving as they slowly shrunk into the pinkness. The seven operatives and Pablo waved and waved, long after the operatives had vanished from sight. They didn’t want to say good-bye. But maybe, they didn’t have to. They would see each other again. They _knew_ it… After all, they would leave the portal open when they could.

**Delightful Mansion; Hyrule Dimension**

The four exited the front doors of the mansion and breathed the sunny air that was their world. “Well… time for me to head home.” Nerehc said before heading the opposite way.

“Don’t wanna hang around for ice cream?” Cheren asked with a raised brow.

“Well, I was dealing with my own problems before all this happened. So it’s time I resolved them.”

“Yeah… we were in the middle of stuff, too. See you soon, Nerehc.”

“Yokay.”

And with that, Nerehc went to the Nugget River to return to his own world. Bound by destiny, bound by fate… that was the connection between Positives and Negatives. And because Nerehc helped Cheren, the world was saved from a terrible cataclysm. Just like Lehcar helped Rachel, and Gnaa helped Aang. He wondered if his friends would find similar adventures with their Positives. Or if they already have. Well, one way or another, their lives had to go on like normal. And before Cheren got both of them in trouble again, Nerehc had to resolve a few issues.

 

**Always set your affairs in order before you get splorped to another dimension, kids. Wow, what a long chapter this was. Next time, Nerehc will continue what he started. Happy Spring Break, y’all.**


	15. Alliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nerehc Onu decides to form an alliance with the Nimbi DNK.

**My head is full of pretty luuums…**

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**_

Chapter -6: Alliance

_**

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**Dnalevelc; Onion River**

Nerehc resurfaced inside his own world and began to make the journey home. “BRO!!!” But 3 seconds hadn’t gone by when Arorua glomped him from behind. “You’re back!! Where have you BEEN??”

“Arorua, you… missed me?” Very strange for someone like her.

“I- uhhh… Well, I’m hoping I won’t become Mom’s midday barbeque now. The short version is, Sipa lent me a clone she made of you and it’s, um, keeping up appearances. However OOC they might be… So, wh-where did you go again?”

“Another dimension—where is Sipa now, what is she doing?”

“I assumed she was trying to bring you back, don’t ask me..”

“I’m calling her.” Nerehc hurriedly pulled out his cellphone and began texting (there’s a difference, Nerehc), _Meet me at Dnalevelc Park in 10 minutes, if you get this. –Nerehc_ “Too bad I didn’t get this over with before all this happened. …Remind me to clear out my messages later.” _This is another thing I’m sure_ MASKED _clarifies._ noted Patrick Stewart. “So Arorua, what’s the Dictator been doing? The DNKG?”

“Well, according to Sicnarf, they’ve been hanging out at Aipyks all this time.”

“Did the Nimbi join up with ‘em?”

“I…I wouldn’t know.”

“Time to find out.” With that, Nerehc began heading to the park.

“W-Where are you going?!”

“You said a clone’s filling in for me, right? Then he can fill in longer while I make up for lost time.”

“Uh- DUUUUUDE! Mom’s already more than established you have a brain deficiency from doing math, if you aren’t cured soon, you’ll be sent to a loony hospital, THEN what’ll I explain to her?? Ohhhhhhh!” She ran home annoyedly.

**Aipyks; Supreme Leader’s treehouse**

Nimbi had Atnort surrounded left and right, trapping the alien under their impenetrable fearbending trance. Atnort kept hold of himself and ignited his fists with lightning, punching every which way and shocking the Nimbi into suspension. More Nimbi flew from overhead with machineguns and blasted, but Atnort moved at lightfast speeds with lightning boots, zipping around the air to confuse them before he dealt kicks and shocked them, causing them to drop. Atnort landed and faced what appeared to be a team of large, dark-colorful dodoes marching in the entrance, ridden by other Nimbi. Atnort squished his middle and index fingers together on his right hand, alit them with lightning, and stuck them through the ground to send a surge of lightning through and shock all of the birds, all of them falling.

Atnort blew the smoke from his fingers and marched toward the tall stairs, where Nimbi Leader Ibsej sat upon the throne. Atnort whirled his arms and ignited the lightning on his tips, aim set on Ibsej. “… … . . . I will speak with your leader now.”

Atnort made a malicious grin before aiming his fingers out the window and blasting a mighty bolt of lightning. It formed the giant letters ‘DNKG’ for everyone within the area to see, its light shining inside Aluben’s saucer as she awoke from her apparent sleep.

**Dnalevelc Park**

10 minutes had passed, and Nerehc waited patiently at the park. Lying on the bench where he and Sipa usually sat, wondering if she got the message. It was 5:02 when Nerehc checked his watch, marking it 10 minutes since the text. …3-2-1:

“HAZZAAAAAH!” Sipa popped from the smoke, scaring the boy upright. “The underling hath proven her worth! Welcome back, O Prince of the Sulfury Void!” She embraced him in a loving hug.

“Heh heh heh heh. Missed you, Sipa. What-…”

She pulled away and faced him with a vibrant smile, “I used a ritual to banish Ininap to wherever you went to bring you back! Does she deserve credit, or have you. . .”

“I… had no idea. Cheren and his pals helped me back. Panini was with us, so I assume.. Inap is back, too?”

“Hmm. Well, half-credit will suffice. OOHHHHHHH but I’m so happy you’re back! A quarter of my soul well spent, I’d say! Good thing, ‘cause I thought of SOOOOO much stuff to do together!” Her eyes were bright and sparkly as they were when people suffer.

“Yeah- ummm… Sipa, I wanted to tell you about somethin’-”

“OOOOOOoooooooo whatisit, whatisit??” she jumped. “Ohhhhh I bet you landed in a jungle and burned the whole place to the ground!”

“Well, I DID land in a jungle, but that’s not what-”

“Oh, you went to a blizzarding mountain and destroyed all the puny log cabins with your lightning!”

“No, of course not!”

“Okay, then you shot lightning at a rocket as it was leaving the atmosphere, leaving all the astronauts’ heads to pop in space!”

“Ewwww, why would I do that?!”

“Because that would be like the coolest thing ever—OOOOOOOHH I have ton more ideas weshouldgodoallthatstuff right nooooowwww!” Sipa gripped his right arm in both hands and shook ecstatically. Nerehc doesn’t think he’s ever seen her this happy. “Yes yes, we DEFINITELY should! Right after we infest the beauty salon with lice and force them to shave their heads forever, or dump the Jellify Solution in the way of the marathoners to liquefy all their legs, or-! or-! sneak into the hospital and feed all the women (and men) this Mega Pregnancy Potion and make them have a hundred babies—!”

“NO!” Nerehc yanked his arm away. “None of that, no to ALL that stuff! No more planting hexes, killing goats, drawing circles out of blood, I’m…I’m just SICK of… the whole… THING.”

“What ‘thing’?”

“The whole… Negaverse… thing. Look, I’m not a Christian, I know we live in a godless world, but I don’t see why that gives us any reason to act… Negative.”

Sipa heard the tremble in his voice as he turned back to her. Over his sunglasses, she found an odd look in his eyes. They looked a little… watery.

Nerehc turned away again. “That’s all this whole world is, isn’t it. Everybody hates each other. Teams never work well together and… nobody gets along. I just… a-a-I just want everyone to get along. The way Cheren and… his pallies do. They all worked together to… beat me and clear his name. Why…Why can’t anyone in this universe be that way? Why can’t anyone try to be friends with each other? I can’t stand seeing everyone so.. miserable all the time. I try to embrace that feature, try to be careless in my leader duties, run around and cause havoc… like my mom does… but I can’t get used to it. That’s why I like to… _celebrate_ Christmas, be involved in the warm activity it brings. And maybe I…I really WOULD like to make peace with the Nimbis, and the Minish, ALL of those people. So we can all be friends just like the Positives… and not look like such a Hell.”

She never heard Nerehc speak in this tone before. He must’ve worked up a lot of courage to speak his mind. Stumbling on his own words. The weight he must be feeling on his heart right now. “…KHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“What’s so funny?!”

“Nothing, nothing!” Sipa wiped a tear away. “It always sounds silly hearing it out loud!”

“Just KNEW you’d react that way.” Nerehc turned away, his head throbbing with anger and embarrassment.

Sipa leaned both arms over his shoulders. “It’s silly to hear because it’s a _hopeless_ dream. Just like the Christians trying to convert everybody to their nonsense. If everybody hates each other, it’s a law of nature, it’s no thing anyone can do about it. Making it your dream to CHANGE that nature will be just wasting your life, because humans, merpeople, and aliens are always gonna hate one-another for a bunch of meaningless crap. Nerehc, you should dedicate yourself to something more worthwhile than something that’s utterly pointless.”

“It’s NOT pointless!” Nerehc shoved her off. “Even if we ALL do hate each other, that can’t be the only thing we have to feel. It wouldn’t HURT to try and support each other and… make better bonds or something. If you don’t understand what I mean, then go away.” He turned away again.

This certainly wasn’t the interaction Sipa planned to have with him today. But she really didn’t feel like leaving, either. She sighed and wrapped an arm around him for comfort’s sake. “Well, whaddyou want me to say, Nerehc, that I’ll be a goody two-shoes and risk my chance of going to Hell?”

“I’d just like it if you… support me.”

 _“Aww, you’re turning into such a FINE young woman.”_ She cooed. “I don’t really care that you do, Nerehc, but I can’t go against my religion. You’re not asking me to celebrate _Christmas_ with you, are you?”

“No. I’d just like for our Nega-World to look a little less… gloomy.”

“Hmmmmmm.” Sipa shook her head. “Well, on a certain point of view, ‘peace’ is a way of making mortals weak, leaving them easy tools for the Devil to take control of. So… I’ll support you. A little.”

Nerehc released a light sigh. “Thanks… Sipa.”

“So how can I start?”

“…By helping me get the Nimbi over to our side. We’re going to Aipyks.”

“But the Dictator’s been hanging around there since you left, she has to have brought ‘em over by now.”

“Or maybe she hasn’t, that’s why we have to go up there now. Grab on, I’ll fly us up there NASA.” He held his right hand out.

“Hold on, hold on, a) the Nimbi will swarm our butts the moment they see your rockets burning about, b) are you even sure where the Naipyks KND Treehouse is?”

“Um… that would be worth looking into.”

“If you really want my insight on this, we should go in there with a Nimbi. I don’t suppose we _know_ any Nimbi.”

“What about Asia?”

“I was specifically intending to avoid the neat-freak.”

“Yeah, but at least she gets out more than Ibyf. Let’s go ask her, come on.”

“You said it.” Sipa took Nerehc’s hand, flicked her wand, and warped them in a puff.

**Nega-Sector W7 Treehouse**

On another casual dark day in Sector -W7, Yenmihc was lain boredly on the couch with Ebnog on the floor while Ahcniea was measuring each of their faces with a ruler. “What are you _doing_ , Ahcniea?”

“Recording the exact circumferences of your faces to see if they’re compatible for a switch. I’m practicing face-switching and you guys were the closest subjects I could reach.”

“‘kay, but if you cut off my face, I will replace your head with a fountain.”

“Tsk-tsk.”

They heard a flapping as Asia came soaring in through the open window. “Well, it took awhile, but I found a new bottle of toothpaste for each of us. I’ll take the liberty of labeling them, so-”

 _POOF._ Sipa and Nerehc popped just beneath her and made her fall backward. “. . . . Wow, never Apparated before.” Nerehc said dizzily.

“You get used to it. …Oh, Asia, great, you’re here!” Sipa perked, seeing the angel on her rear.

“Watch where you’re appearing!” Asia yelled, scooping all the toothpaste back in her satchel. “All that magic ash can’t be good for the lungs!”

Nerehc recomposed his senses after a few seconds. “Asia, listen, I need your help with somethin’. In fact, ALL of you can help.” He turned to the other -W7 members. “I wanna go up to Aipyks and get the Nimbi over to our side-”

“NOOO.” The five girls chorused.

“Tsk-tsk.”

“Nnn.” Nerehc face-palmed. “Well, why not?”

“Those angels are all a bunch of JERKS, they’re mean and unforgiving, and I HATE THEM.” Lirpa exclaimed.

“It’s so high up, and we might _faaaaall_.” Ahcom moaned.

“And I know you aren’t caught up, but Whatsherface has been there all this time, and she’s probably got ‘em over.” Yenmihc reminded.

“Well, we can’t just let them sign over to her side. If we let her armies get any bigger, they’re going to take us over, you don’t want that, do you?” Nerehc reasoned.

“What’s she gonna do with us, anyway, our planet is so lazy. The only one’ll suffer is you ‘cause you’re the leader, and she couldn’t even force you. Why ‘on’t you just kill her ass.”

“Maybe I could, but… I think this would be good for us, anyway. Don’t you get tired of people like the merpeople or Minish bothering us all the time? And the Nimbi, too; that’s why it would be a good idea to… be friends with them. W-We have a few Nimbi in our group, anyway, ‘cluding Asia, why couldn’t we be friends with them?”

“Because if other Nimbi are like Asia, why would we _want_ to be friends with them?” questioned Yenmihc. “Just like Asia, all they are is a mockery. They shouldn’t exist in our world, none of those aliens should. The angels are supposed to be God’s servants. Pure, holy beings that help God protect those stupid enough to believe in Him. Isn’t it just weird that in a godless world, there’re still Christians holding onto a puny shred of faith? But where is that faith when the angels we’re raised to know and love are represented by that godless, miserable group above our clouds?? And then Nimbi like ASIA show up down here to MOCK our ideology up close. If you ask me, they’re better off slaving under the Dictator WITH ALL THE OTHER blasphemic fools! And BURN IN HELL WITH ‘EM, TOO!”

“That’s why you were always good for a laugh.” Sipa replied with disbelief.

“Look, I don’t CARE if your beliefs were crushed because of their existence, the fact is they DO exist.” Nerehc stated. “Just because we live in a ‘godless’ world, doesn’t mean we have to act like no gods are watching. And JUST because all those babies in the Posiworld are lovey and sappy with each other, even if that means we hate each other inside, we can still acknowledge each other as friends. As Supreme Leader of this DNK, I want to extend a friendly arm to other armies, so we can stop fighting each other and, share a damn planet at least. That’s why we’re flying up to Aipyks and asking them to make an alliance with us. And as leader, I ORDER you all to go up WITH ME!” He took the next several seconds to catch his breath. That was the only sound heard since -W7 remained silent, only staring at him with their regular gloomy looks.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Well _fine_ , if it means so _much_ to you.” Ahcom huffed.

“If I do it, THEN will you be grateful?!” Lirpa shouted.

“Siiiigh. Fine. Introduce a little Catholicism to the godless angels.” Yenmihc sighed.

“Tsk-tsk.”

“Except that we don’t have any ships since YENMIHC refuses to fly one.” Asia noted.

“I was thinking we’d do a more subtle approach, anyway.” Nerehc replied. “Asia will fly us all there, and as a Nimbi, she could show that we don’t mean harm.”

“Okay, sure, everyone hop on my back and I’ll get us there in a jiffy.” Asia turned and pointed at her back in a sarcastic fashion.

“I’d love to break your back anyday, but I was thinking I’d cast a shrinking spell on all of us. Just for today.” Sipa glared.

“I don’t even wanna fly up there, anyway! The sky is always filled with smoke, how do you expect me to FIND Aipyks in all of that garbage?! I’ll choke to death and you all will choke with me.”

“Which is why I made _this_.” Sipa waved her wand and poofed a small jar of faint white liquid at her feet, then picked it up. “It’s a special Shield Potion that can protect your body from pollutants or toxic material. Lasts for 3 whole hours. I drink them to go swimming in the ocean and make kids think it’s safe. Heh heh, those misshapen-face freaks.”

“Mmmm… you sure it’ll work?”

“If I can survive a glowing lake, you can survive a few clouds.”

“. . .” Never in all her life would Asia dream of flying anywhere near the stratosphere. The pure, sunny air of the Posiverse was one she could only dream of, but Asia knows no creature, even the Nimbi, that could survive up there. Supreme Leader Nerehc better know what he’s doing. “Okay.” She took the small jar, pulled it open, and guzzled the potion down in seconds. An odd tingly sensation swept across her skin as a wind-like barrier appeared over the shape of her body and disappeared, alighting every few seconds to remind her of its existence.

“So will it hold us, too?” Nerehc asked.

“If we keep near her body, yeah.” Sipa nodded.

“Then it’s time to fly, let’s go.”

He and the -W7 members, minus Asia, squeezed close together as Sipa called “Reducio.”, shrinking them all down to inch-size. Asia laid her hands on the floor for them to climb on before stretching her wings and taking off through the window.

**The sky**

Asia soared a few meters under the black clouds, keeping her eyes squinted and mouth closed most of the time. “Umm, just wanna ask, when was the last time you all used the bathroom?” she asked the tiny group waiting in her hair.

Asia’s thick forest of huge, dark-red trees was possibly the cleanest place they knew in the Negaverse, but -W7 made it their temporary living room as they lounged about doing whatever – Lirpa, for example, was making several laps around the maze of trees. “Relax, Asia, none of us wanna face the wrath of the Rains of Purity.” Yenmihc remarked (referring to Asia’s hairspray).

“Tsk-tsk.”

“Just don’t make too big a mess up there!” Asia yelled. “I trust you guys enough to infiltrate the safety of my barrier, you better not abuse that!”

“No, no, of course not.” Ahcniea said as she was crawling around the scalp and knocking certain areas (she was extra tiny, so Asia didn’t feel her). _“Let’s see, where’s the best place to implant memory-scrub droids in an angel’s brain?…”_

“Asia, at some point you need to go above the clouds, we gotta ask around to find the main Naipyks treehouse.” Nerehc told her.

“I know, I… just wanna find a clear-enough spot.”

“You have the shield, just go up, we’ll survive!”

_It’s not you I’m worried about._ “Okay… I’ll go… 3.. 2.. ONE.” Holding her breath and shutting her eyes tight, Asia flew straight up and through the smoky clouds. In seconds, she felt their presence breeze away and bright light pierced her eyelids.

A sea of smoggy dark gray stretched across for miles beneath her. Directly above was endless bright blue, surrounding the most humongous, brightest light they’ve ever seen. The sun. Nerehc and -W7 held tight and climbed Asia’s breezing strands of hair to view this marvel. Who would’ve thought that beyond all this darkness, there was light.

“A million times better than looking at it from space.” Nerehc said.

“Ay… God really does watch this world.” Yenmihc gazed.

“Tsk-tsk.” Ebnog’s never been this entranced.

“….AAAAAAHH! It BUUUURRRRNS!” Ahcom cried, clamping her eyes shut.

“YOU AREN’T supposed to LOOK at it, Dummy, it’s how it TRICKS YOU!” Lirpa shouted.

In time, Asia wasn’t sure where over the world she was. The idea of being this high over the world was magical. It was hard to believe this was where the Nimbi lived. It wasn’t at all like she imagined. Well, it was a little bit, with the gas-like clouds. If only the clouds were white and fluffy like in the Posiverse, then this place would look like Heaven.

“…Hey Asia, there’s a place!” Nerehc yelled, peeking out the front of Asia’s hair and pointing to a distant area with round, lumpy clouds.

Asia flew over this area and observed it with interest, the others having to hold her hair when the top of her head became vertical. All those lumpy clouds appeared to have slanted doors. “It… _looks_ like a town.”

“Maybe we’re missing something.” Nerehc said. “Asia, is there a way underneath?”

“Um… let’s see.” Asia spun her arms like windmills and blasted an air gust through the cloud-ground, breaking a way open. Asia pressed her arms and legs in and even kept her wings back so she could descend and fit in through the hole. After a few meters, she appeared in more open atmosphere, slowing and flipping right-side-up as she flapped in place. _“Whoooa…”_ It really was a town, with upside-down buildings hanging from the dark clouds. Nimbi citizens were flying from building to building, and being underneath the clouds, it was as dark as the surface.

“LOOK, over there!” Sipa pointed, having climbed atop a strand of hair for a better view. Asia turned, and through the darkness appeared to be the faint form of an upside-down treehouse.

“Perfect. Asia, go talk to the kids there.” Nerehc ordered.

“And say what?! ‘Hey, I’m a Nimbi operative, but I have no treehouse and I don’t know where Main Base is.’”

“Just tell them the truth. Here, I’ll help you.” Nerehc flew out of her hair with his rocket shoes and into Asia’s right ear. “Okay…”

So with that, Asia soared to the distant treehouse as its appearance within the darkness cleared and expanded. “HELLOOOO? Anyone HOME?”

A team of four Nimbi kids soared out the windows and flapped before Asia. “Yeah, we’re home. Welcome to Sector SUTARTOBMIN. Are you a transfer operative or something?”

“Um, actually, I’m…”

 _“My name is Asia, Numbuh -Heaven-77 of the Earth DNK.”_ Nerehc whispered from her ear.

“My name is Asia, Numbuh -Heaven-77 of the Earth DNK.”

“An Earth Nimbi?!” a boy operative exclaimed as they reached to grab weapons.

“No wait, just listen! … I was sent here by my Supreme Leader as a messenger. … He ordered me to find your leader to request an… a-a-alliance. … He wanted me to assure that… he seeks no harm for your group and… he-he hopes to set up a friendly audience… w-with your leader.”

The four kids exchanged glances. “How do we know you’re not an assassin?” the other boy asked.

“…Nerehc said that he assures you he bares no ill will. ..After much contemplation, he thinks an alliance will be good for both of us.”

“Well… okay.” the girl complied. “But try anything funny, we’ll off you like _that_.” Snapped her fingers. “Follow us.” They flew toward a wall of dark clouds.

“Asia, may I also say, how uncannily clean your ears are.”

“What?” The Nimbi turned back to Asia with baffled looks.

“Um, nothing! Don’t say that, you idiot.”

“. . .” They were very suspicious.

“Um, a-I have a condition, where I say random things. I’ll try to control it, don’t worry. Stop repeating everything I say.”

“. . .” With shrugs, the kids continued onward. Asia flapped her wings and joined them through the clouds. “For all I know, your nose is probably as breezy as an enchanted forest..” Asia mumbled.

**Somewhere down below**

On a lone, deserted island on the sea below, someone else was sailing there for his own meeting. A man in a ghostly white cape with long black hair, and only an exposed right blue eye on his pale face. He entered a cave echoing with droplets, lit with candles, and a small, very reflective waterfall. He stood before it for several minutes, watching as his rippled reflection morphed, his white cloak turning black, black hair silver, and his blue eye becoming red. His Positive stepped out of the waterfall. “I’m glad I could count on you to meet here.” The Man With the Red Eye spoke with a deep voice.

“I understand that you’d like to form an _alliance_ with me?” the Man With the Blue Eye replied with a higher voice (both were voiced by Dan Green, except Blue Eye sounds like Normal Yugi, Red Eye sounds like Yami Yugi).

“Yes. I would like to join my White Lotus with your Black Lotus. It’s very much known that we essentially seek the same purpose.”

“There’s a difference. _I_ am a follower of the law, you’re a rebel. You seek to destroy your world’s government.”

“My reasons are legitimate. But still, an alliance would be beneficial. I think we both see it coming. This summer. Do you have any insight on that?”

“My assistant discovered a secret chamber, under the… _Tree_. A chamber with a strange door. But he saw absolutely no way of getting inside.”

“Reminds me of the chamber underneath my own tree. I believe they both serve an integral purpose.”

“Regardless, this isn’t the kind of business the Black Lotus gets involved in. Our only mission was to serve the Negatar.”

“The White Lotus’s mission was to serve the Avatar, and keep peace and prosperity between the mortals and the gods. But in desperate times, we need to consider our priorities, and the Avatar does not reach the top of the list. But I believe I can help you find where the Negatar has gone. Please, allow us to work together, and I can guarantee the safety of both of our peoples.”

It was a lot for Blue Eye to consider. He would never think of working with a man like him. But they did have a similar purpose. And similar values. “Deal.” He took Red Eye’s hand.

“Very good. Now I have a very good idea what’s behind that door you mentioned. If we could open it… our side may have an advantage.”

“That would be very difficult. No bender could possibly open it. It’s a real puzzler. Oh, but if we’re becoming allies, perhaps I could request your help. My daughter is… well… my daughter is _really_ giving me grief. She goes out a lot and gets herself in a lot of trouble, and… she makes the _worst_ decisions, I’m afraid what’ll happen.”

“Then I should schedule her a meeting with my daughter. I’m certain they can help each other out. Without letting them know who they are.”

“I certainly hope so. When should they meet?”

“This Christmas sounds nice. Shall I see you then?”

“Very well. Farewell, Sir Red Eye.” With that, his Positive stepped back behind the waterfall. 

**Aipyks; above Acirfa**

The sky turned redder as the Nimbi children led Asia to a town that hovered above Acirfa. It was a huge town very populated with Nimbi, and a humongous treehouse stood in the distance. “Is that the Supreme Leader’s treehouse?” she asked.

“Yeah, that’s it.” one of the boys replied. “But it looks like Ibsej is having visitors over. I wouldn’t make too much a scene.”

“Yeah…”

“‘Course, we’re gonna make a scene when I have to re-expand us.” Sipa noted.

“Yeah, I know.” Nerehc replied. “Maybe Asia can let us off someplace and we’ll think of a-”

_RRRRIP._

“Uh-oh.” said Sipa. There was an odd stretching sound as a tingle fell over their bodies.

“Wh-What’s happening?” Ahcom stuttered.

“I… forgot to mention that shrink spells have a limit, to keep it from being used darkly. Been trying to find a way to work around that. Can’t even turn people into a beetle for too long.”

“So weeeeee…?” Nerehc inquired.

“Are about to do the stretch thing, yeah.”

“WHOOOOOAAAA!” Asia freaked when the seven passengers suddenly stretched back to normal size, more than overpowering her with their weight as they crushed Asia on the solid cloud ground. “UUH.”

The Nimbi children whipped around instantly. “Hey… where did they all come from?” one asked.

“She was bringing in spies!! Assassins, even!” the girl exclaimed. “GET THEM!”

Nerehc shot to the air with rocket shoes and punched flames at each of them, backing them up. Sipa recovered and “Stupefy!” cast a stunning spell against the leader, the other three flying separate directions to surround them. One boy pushed Lirpa with air blasts to roll the fallen girl across the ground, but before she fell off an edge, she got to her feet and kept a sturdy pose, fighting and running against the wind as her sneakers scraped the cloud-ground. After pulling enough strength, she successfully fought against the wind, made it to the Nimbi, jumped, and pulled him to the ground by his legs, kicking him unconscious.

One of the other boys was a fearbender, unleashing a deadly screech to put Yenmihc under a trance. From behind, Ebnog leapt, grabbed Ahcom in his teeth, and tossed her on top to clamp hands over the Nimbi’s eyes, freeing Yenmihc as she sucked in a huge breath, clamped her mouth tight, and built up pressure as clouds of black smog calmly flowed out of her nose and ears, and up to the Nimbi as he coughed and fell defeated. “Hm… didn’t know you were a poisonbender.” Nerehc said.

The last Nimbi boy faced Asia in midair, reaching an arm and closing his fingers as Asia began to choke. The boy whirled his arms as Asia’s very breath began to rise out, the girl clutching her neck in desperate attempt to keep it in. But Ahcniea was climbing up his back and made it to his neck, pulling out two stitches to stick into his neck. He immediately started shaking uncontrollably, releasing Asia so she could suck her breath back in, followed by the girl punching double air blasts that bore the strength of punches, knocking the boy out cold while Ahcniea fell back in Lirpa’s hands.

“Still call that a friendly greeting?” Sipa asked.

“Self-defense is a factor. Let’s go.” Nerehc flew ahead of the lot as they kept behind, on the way to the Naipyks Treehouse. But it appeared more swarms were coming for them, small colorful aliens with various shapes and colors. “Uh-oh, it’s the Psiw. Aluben’s minions.”

Yellow Psiw hovered like rockets and blasted machineguns from above while orange ones burrowed below and shot cannons up through the clouds. Asia avoided those cannons and dove through the clouds, punching air blasts to knock the Psiw away, while Lirpa made terrific leaps to lower Psiw, to higher Psiw, grabbing the higher ones between her legs, spinning and flinging them to other ones, and leaping to other Psiw from there. Yenmihc puffed and released black smog into the air to poison a few Psiw, but the Green Hover ones used their power to make the smoke, and Yenmihc herself, force against the ground with super gravity, leaving the dark-blues to trap her inside flaming spheres. When Lirpa landed back down, she tried to run at the light-blue Psiw, but they slowed her to an unbearable speed, spending a minute or so trying to touch her next foot to the ground. Asia reemerged above the ground to blast more air gusts, until the Red Psiw froze her wings solid. Finally, the Bright-pink Giant Psiw, far bigger than the others, cast their magic on Ahcniea and grew her three times higher than each of her teammates, and this gigantic size made her unable to move.

Seeing her friends in trouble, Ahcom had no idea what to do. Without them to protect her, she would be torn to pieces in no time. With a sudden surge of gutsiness, Ahcom dashed to the Sphere Psiw, smacked her hand against each of them, and in that instant, the flames trapping Yenmihc burned out. “Huh?!” one of the Psiw gasped.

Surprised, Ahcom ran up to the Giant Psiw, smacked their huge tentacles, and suddenly Ahcniea shrunk back to normal. “Ascendio!” Sipa blasted Ahcom with a spell that propelled her up to the Slow Psiw, allowed her to smack them, and the moment Lirpa was back to normal, she ran below, caught her, and threw Ahcom up to the Ice Psiw to smack them and free Asia. With the Psiw incapacitated, the friends were able to go around and knock them out cold.

“Wow, Ahcom, more respect for you.” Asia said. “How’d you do that?”

“It looked like chi-blocking.” Nerehc observed. “Ahcom must’ve been born with unnatural talent. Explains how she passed training.”

“Come on, that can’t possibly exist.”

“You’d be surprised.” Ahcniea noted.

The team continued to the treehouse, cutting across the town as more Psiw came at them. While they handled them without problem, Nimbi began to fly down from the treehouse, blasting with machineguns as Sipa blasted a magic shield in their wake that made the bullets dissolve into particles. When the Nimbi tried to reload, Sipa hurriedly blasted more spells to turn the guns into snakes, which strangled the angels. Nimbi were still coming down as the eight continued toward the treehouse, having to fight against air blasts and Fear Screams as Nerehc, Asia, and Sipa countered with their powers. Two Nimbi took land behind them and grabbed Lirpa and Yenmihc in breath grasps, but Ahcom ran behind and chi-blocked the Nimbi so Lirpa could kick one across the head, and Yenmihc could force poison gas in the other while Ebnog tricked him as he backed up.

The team eventually made it to the edge of the clouds, a large chasm lain between them and the treehouse, a series of cloud platforms leading to the sealed entrance. “Sipa, let’s try to get it open.” Nerehc declared as he grabbed his friend and flew across the platforms, leaving the others to battle incoming Nimbi. He landed Sipa on the final platform as she blasted an attraction spell at the drawbridge, and Nerehc shot flames into its sides to burn it open.

Lirpa agilely kicked off some Nimbis’ heads to grab higher ones and throw them to the ground, Ahcniea swung to various ones’ necks using stitching threads, stabbing devices in their shoulders to make them shake furiously, and Yenmihc threw smog clouds at their faces to blind them while Asia spun whirlwinds to spin them dizzy. When Ahcniea wrapped her threads around another’s arm, the Nimbi hurriedly flailed her off and into the air, then blasted an air gust that sent her flying across the chasm. “WHAAA _AAAaaaaa!”_ She crashed into a lower part of the treehouse.

“Ahcniea!” Asia attempted to fly after her, but three Nimbi got in her way and blasted Fear Spheres.

At this time, Nerehc and Sipa successfully pulled the drawbridge open. “We can’t let Aluben get to them first, it’s time to move.” Nerehc kept hold on Sipa’s hand and flew inside, the other -W7 members leaping across the platforms after them. Another DNKG ship was already taking land in a top area of the treehouse.

**Treehouse dungeon**

“AAAH!” Ahcniea broke through the cloud-wall as though it were already crumbling ruin (and she were normal-sized), finding herself on the floor of a dark room. “Owww… I wish I coulda stayed a little bit big.”

_“Hello?”_

“Hu!” Ahcniea flinched. “Wh-Who said that?”

A lantern was alit, and Ahcniea soon found a tall girl with ghostly white eyes staring down at her. “WAAAAHH!”

“Oop! I’m sorry.” Ydolem Noskcaj apologized. “You just surprised me, that’s all.”

“Well, YOU surprised ME!! Wait a second, aren’t you that secret girl?”

“Um… yes. I’m Numbuh -10.11 from Sector -L. Where did you come from, little one?”

“I’m -76.2 from Sector -W7. We came here with Nerehc to make an alliance with the Nimbi, if you can believe that.”

“You mean Nerehc is here, too? To make an alliance with them? I was wondering why Hsa coughed out his secret.”

“Whatever that means… w-where are we?”

“I came here earlier and was captured. This cell is chi-blocked, but I’d like to get up there to support Nerehc. Do you think you can help me?”

“I guess so. But do you think I could examine your face size later?”

“For what reason?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Well then… I’ll comply to that.” Ydolem smiled. “So can you help?”

“Sure, sure. If I can pick someone’s brain, a lock is no problem.”

“Pick someone’s… huh?”

“Mum’s the word.” Ahcniea winked.

**Upstairs; Supreme Leader’s throne**

The new ship that had just arrived in fact belonged to Annaira Eerfnud. Nimbi Leader Ibsej was knelt before Aluben and Atnort, having surrendered. Using her bloodbending, Anna took hold of Ibsej’s left arm and began to engrave the letters into her flesh. “I was wrong, Atnort. Even after falling from the sky once, you’re willing to climb back up and prove you have worth.” said the Dictator. “I wonder if Beewv is making such effort with the Hsinim.”

A sudden bolt of lightning shot in and struck Annaira in the back, the alien falling defeated. “Sorry.” Everyone whipped around to find Nerehc and Sipa at the entrance, the former’s fingers smoking. “But you have enough servants. Maybe the Nimbi would like somebody different.”

“So, the humans’ leader has returned.” Aluben said with her ghostly tone. “I feared Atnort would take so long. I always have the right mind about my subjects.”

“Grrrr!” Atnort growled.

“And just what are _you_ doing here?” Ibsej asked.

“Supreme Leader Numbuh -27 B.C.E., I came here on the grounds to extend a friendly arm of- ugh, can’t even understand what I’m saying, I WANNA make an alliance, that’s all I’m trying to say.”

“Hm. Well, you’re a little too late-”

“No I’m not. Ask yourself this, do you WANT to be part of Aluben’s army? Allowing her the use of your troops to risk THEIR lives for HER gain? And to be honest, it’s hardly an alliance when you’re the only side bowing down.”

“I…”

“Even if she does not, what choice does she have?” Aluben spoke. “My armies are invincible. We are a single, powerful mind. You may have the will to resist my grasp… but she does not.”

“Then I’ll help her.” Nerehc held his fingers ready. “If your army comes to harass them, I’ll come to protect them. If you harass us, all I ask is they help us, too. That’s what a real alliance is. Both sides helping each other if they need it. Not following the orders of one sole dictator.”

“And I reiterate, what power do either of you have over my full army?”

“Well, they say an army is only as strong as their commander. Let’s you and me settle it, once and for all.” Nerehc marched closer. “The winner is officially the better choice for the Nimbi.”

“Yes… but part of being a ruler, is sending others to battle for you. Atnort, if you please.”

“WHAT? Why do I have to do it?”

“Your negligence has allowed Nerehc enough time to find his way back home, when there was so much I wanted to do beforehand. Your only chance of proving your worth now, is to accomplish what I couldn’t. Submit him.”

“Well, Atnort? Are you gonna?” Nerehc smirked. “Or are you afraid.”

“Afraid of YOU?! The HELL I am.”

“Oh yeah? Your lightning can be easily mistaken for lightbulb wires next to mine.”

“Grrrrrr WE’LL SEE ABOUT THAT!” Atnort’s boots alit with lightning as he flew at Nerehc in a flash, but the latter took to the air with rocket shoes and unleashed a beam of violet flames, only for Atnort to dodge in a blink. Atnort flew to the air with him using lightning boots and began zipping around and around, Nerehc charging lightning in his fingers as he attempted to take aim, but Atnort zipped and kicked him from behind, Nerehc falling to the ground as he blasted his bolt to the ceiling and blew a hole open. Atnort charged his boots with stronger lightning and shot down to stomp Nerehc, who dodged and blew flames along the ground to burn him, but Atnort was still the quicker as he got behind him. He had lightning sparking on his fingertips as he jabbed them at Nerehc, who dodged and lit his own fingers to counter Atnort’s. He succeeded in shocking Atnort in the chest a brief moment before he jumped back and avoided his finger-swipe.

Atnort lit his whole body with lightning and blasted continuous bolts at Nerehc, who kept dodging and managed to grab a few bolts in his fingers. He kept the energy steady on his fingers and dodged further blasts before sending Atnort’s straight back at him, but the alien dodged in a flash and appeared before Nerehc, shocking him in the stomach. Nerehc twitched in place while Atnort dealt punches against his face, then kicked him across the floor. While on his back, Nerehc saw Atnort hover above and ready a bolt, flipping up and dodging before the strike came and conjuring his own lightning to shoot up at him. Atnort dodged each blast in blinks, Nerehc’s breaking several holes into the ceiling. Nerehc kicked on his rockets and shot up to shove Atnort directly up through the crumbled ceiling.

The two flew around outside, throwing lightning blasts that lit the dark-red region blue, and those watching from town would almost mistake it as a storm approaching. Nerehc flew around and down the Naipyks Treehouse as Atnort kept close after, eventually stopping to await Nerehc’s loop around, but when he turned, Nerehc came back the way he was going and shoved Atnort a few meters up, grabbing hold and whirling him around before throwing him against the treehouse’s side. Nerehc soared even higher, throwing flames while Atnort gave chase, soon going very high above the treehouse and inside the dark clouds.

The only indication of their fight from below were the blue flashes within the blackness. Nerehc and Atnort were still blasting lightning, but both moved fairly quick, and both were equally desperate to defeat the other. With no more time to waste, both began focusing lightning in both hands, taking energy from the clouds around and building up stronger power. Their gazes were locked on the other, and their lightning would soon follow that direction. Atnort was going to please his leader, teach Nerehc a lesson, and finally have the Nimbi at their service. Nerehc would extend a hand of friendship with the Nimbi, have an ally against the DNKG, and set an example for all those still against them, or even currently under them. The answer would come in just this one strike. Finally, both forces were ready to let loose with full power.

A humongous blue flash lit up the dark sky, great sparks of lightning around it, and the crackling of their strikes screeching for miles. Those watching below kept their gazes transfixed until that light went down. Any moment now, they would see which withstood such a blast, and which one took the fall.

Atnort’s torn, soot-covered body fell from the clouds, past the broken ceiling, and crashed on the floor. The way he was passed out and motionless, he looked almost dead.

**Posiverse; Viridi’s Throne Room**

A whole different war was taking place on Planet Flora, for the war against Viridi was nearing its conclusion. Vweeb, Makava, and Tronta – who were all tiny-size, were battling their friend, Arianna, who Viridi has brainwashed. During this scuffle, Tronta launched his Light Disc into Arianna’s ear. The possessed girl looked confused, but Tronta pressed a button on his watch, and the Frisbee suddenly emitted a deafening ring.

“Ooohhh!” Arianna cupped a hand on her ear, desperately bonking her head. Tronta gave a light snicker, but Arianna wobbled and forcefully stepped on him.

“Tron!” Vweeb yelled.

Arianna was relieved when the ringing silenced, and stepped off to see Tronta flattened and dizzy. “Errr… good thing my sister’s soft-footed.”

**Back in Aipyks**

With that, everyone directed their attention back at the sky. Nerehc Onu came down, a little burned, but still alive and steady, landing lightly on his feet. He glared at Aluben behind his glasses, then looked down at Atnort and Annaira’s fallen bodies. He picked both of them up and tossed them at Aluben. “They’re your subordinates. Any real decent leader wouldn’t just let them die. Granted, both of them are pretty powerful. I would take them back and give them help, so they’ll be able to try and beat me another day.”

For a few moments, Nerehc and Aluben only stared. Nerehc’s furrowed dark-yellow eyes met Aluben’s circular, mismatched, zombie-like eyes. Aluben snapped her fingers, summoning a team of Psiw to lift and carry the henchmen. “This is not over.” And with another snap, four more Psiw lifted Aluben by the arms and carried her out of the ceiling, away from the treehouse.

**Later…**

Ahcniea managed to pick Ydolem’s lock open, and they and the -W7 members all met up in the throne room. Ibsej was back on her throne as Nerehc stood before her, his head bowed. “So, you would like to make an alliance with me, is that it?” she asked. “But reports say the lot of you caused a bit of chaos downtown.”

“Well, it didn’t exactly go the way I wanted.” Nerehc looked up. “Actually, I wasn’t sure how to go about this. I really should’ve scheduled this meeting earlier, especially due to unforeseen circumstances. I know that humans don’t treat the Nimbi very well, and I know you guys have mixed views about us. But I think we can both agree the DNKG is the real enemy, and there’s no telling what Aluben will do with all of us under her rule. I think the only way to counter her so-called ‘alliance’ is to make our own alliance. We won’t bully you, and you won’t bully us, but when our DNKs are in danger, we should exchange a friendly hand and offer each other support. Asia there is a Nimbi among my ranks. Yenmihc is a Christian, Sipa is a Satanist, Ahcniea’s a little person, if the human DNK can allow so many types, then I think we can come to an understanding, too. And when Aluben’s armies come to see us in this light, none of them will ever have to live under that sole rule, at the same time, we won’t be divided peoples who can only rage war against each other. That’s…That’s all I have to say.”

Hearing this made -W7 view each other in a different light, too. They hated each other, definitely… but during this mission, they actually worked like a team. Like there were no past grudges. All because they wanted Nerehc to stop bugging them about this. Maybe this was what he was trying to tell them all along. …And it looked like, the Nimbi would understand this, too.

Ibsej flew down to Nerehc and reached a hand to him. “You have the Nimbis’ full support.”

“…” Nerehc smirked and took her hand in his. …He then looked at her left arm, seeing the ‘D’ and half the ‘N’ inscribed. “Shame I didn’t come here sooner.”

“Ay… I hope it heals soon.”

“Ahcniea’s a great surgeon.” Ahcom mentioned. “She could help fix it up.”

“Yeah… consider it a gift from us.” Nerehc smiled.

“You did it, Cousin!” Ydolem cheered silently, going up to hug him. “The moment I saw your secret go free… I knew you would come through for us.”

“Heh heh, yeah… That reminds me, though, Ininap and the others’re probably wondering where I am. I better go find them.”

“I have to say, Nerehc, you surprised me, too.” Sipa spoke. “I never would’ve guessed the Prince of Demons would be the first DNK leader to make what seems like a friendship to a bunch of godless angels.”

“You’re not angry with me, are you?” he smirked.

“No, not much.” Sipa smiled wryly. “But I request a free Imperio Curse when we get home.”

“Then I guess we better get back.” Nerehc turned to Ibsej. “I don’t expect Aluben will sleep as soundly tonight with this on her mind. Better be on extra guard tomorrow.”

“Same to you.” Ibsej smiled. “Hope to see you soon.”

“All right. And Sipa, I think you better come home with me for a bit..”

**EiznekCm House**

Yeah, things were messed up here, all right. Part of the house was a royal mess. All thanks to the mindless little clone whose cheeks were puffed, mouth an ‘o’, and marching in place while he made little slurping sounds. Arorua, Nerehc, and Sipa only watched him weirdly. _“Slurp, slurp, slurp. Slurp, slurp, slurp. Slurp slurp..”_

“Oh, hey, kids!” Lehcar beamed, walking in. “Boy, Nerehc sure can slurp a mega-frosty a long time, huh? You’d almost think his head’s made of juices. Well, see ya around.” She walked away like nothing was wrong.

“…On close inspection, I like him better.” Arorua remarked to her brother.

 

**As usual, this went a lot longer than expected. So this story will be coming to a close soon; guess how many chapters this will have. Next time will be the Christmas chapter. So let the “getting interesting, update soon” commence.**


	16. The Worst First Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nerehc Onu gets ready to celebrate the first Christmas with the DNK! Meanwhile, Ydnew Llevram is introduced to her Positive, Wendy Marvell.

**Spoiler alert: _Ib_ will become a crossover.**

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Chapter -5: The Worst First Christmas

_**

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**Dnalevelc; Anti-Christmas Eve**

It was a time for joy, it was a time for cheer… or have we already forgotten what world we’re in now. Since the Negaverse was a ‘godless’ world, Christmas wasn’t very celebratory, rather they celebrated ‘Anti-Christmas’, which was Satanic to some people, but others only rose against the idea of such a happy holiday, mocking the fools who celebrated. Unfortunately for the EiznekCms, a lot of people seemed to be Christmas-freaks on their street, joyously building snowmen, setting up colorful Christmas lights, and vibrant Christmas Trees.

Lehcar detested any such ideals, and seeing the Christmas Tree across her street made her sick. A violet flame burning in her hand, she threw it forth and set fire to the wretched thing, the family gasping in horror. “SATANISM ALL THE WAY, MOTHER LOVERS.” She went into her house and slammed the door with the Satanic Circle. Upside-down Crosses and other such unholy ornaments made up her yard.

“Siiiiigh.” Nerehc witnessed this walking up to his house, glancing away in anger.

“DENY HIIIIIIM!” He wasn’t even startled by Sipa puffing out of smoke. “Unmerry Anti-Christmas, Prince of Sissies. Even though I guess you won’t be celebrating.”

“I kinda have to, for my mom’s sake.”

“Still haven’t come out that you’re a hetero?”

“‘Course not, ‘cause it’d crush my mom to know I wanna have sex with a woman. How’s the party coming along?”

“Destructively Nefarious Kids’ first ever Christmas Celebration is going horrifically flawless. I pray that now more than ever, I will be banished to Burning Hell for my hypocrisy.”

“Yep, just like the FanFiction critics. But I think it would be a major step in making a difference, really. And I’ll… bring my mom up when it’s ready.”

“Well, it’s only fair you get to Hell before I do. See you in a couple hours?”

“Yah… later.” With that, Sipa poofed away.

**Unknown home**

It might have been some kind of holiday for most people, but for Ydnew, it was like any other day: to go out and hang with friends at various clubs. After all, not many places closed on Anti-Christmas, so no one could stay around bored. The 10-year-old girl with ocean-blue hair, pointy ears, and clear blue eyes focused closely on her mirror reflection. She caught her chest area within a finger-frame and readied to stretch it. “YDNEW, WHAT are you doing?!” called the high, concerned voice of her father. The Man With the Blue Eye ran in. “You had BETTER not be running out NOW of all times.”

“Or wut, I can’t celebrate a holiday NO ONE gives a crap about?”

“It’s not that, what you’re doing just isn’t normal. A girl your age shouldn’t engage in these activities, drinking, smoking – what possessed you to think these were cool things?!”

“Awwww, well I’m sorry if my father-running-for-president is embarrassed by his daughter wanting to live life. If you CARE about me so much, why don’t you use your matterbending to teach me a lesson?”

“Because a rare power such as that shouldn’t be used for such a thing, as your father, I need to get control over you the old-fashioned way. And just because you’re a spacebender, YOU shouldn’t refashion your body in a manner I don’t APPROVE.”

“Well, I’m tired of all those ‘hotties’ jiggling their CANS above me all the time, so I’m showin’ ‘em they ain’t the only ones who can be perky. See you after my OWN Christmas dinner, GOOD-BYE.” And with a snap of her fingers, she warped.

“Siiiigh… I hope this plan works, Red Eye.”

His Positive appeared in the mirror. “Oh, it should. You’re certain of where she’s going?”

“I might’ve eavesdropped, yeah.”

“Okay. Then that’s where I’ll send her.”

**Bathroom somewhere in Dnalhsa**

Ydnew splorped out of thin space and faced the mirror, floating up for a full-body view. Smirking happily, she locked her chest in a finger-frame, stretched it, and expanded her breasts to a desired radius. “Yeeeeaaah, these will look just fine.” She felt all around the soft, round melons and approved of their proportion. “Ooooo, but probably should’ve stretched _me_ first.” So she stretched the length of her body to a good 6’3’’. “Ewww, I look like a stick.” She then stretched the width of her body area. She puffed each leg to a sleek, womanly form, and stretched her feet a few inches. “Oh, this too.” No doubt she needed her pelvic area stretched a little. Her hands and arms were still pretty skimpy, and having to use one hand for each one, it was a little tedious, but she was satisfied in the end. “Hmmm…” Something else was amiss, and it was her pointed ears, so she smoothed and rounded them, like a good, natural grown human.

“Look out world, Ydnew Llevram is back in town!” She posed and studied her hot, 20-year-old self in the mirror, wearing only a cerulean top with flower-petal edges and a sky-blue bow, short in length as it exposed her waist and cleavage, a pair of white Capri shorts, and brown Greek sandals that were stretched with her feet. “Time to hit the club!”

She exited the bathroom of the barren fancy restaurant that was apparently closed this time of year. But the mirror she had just used rippled like liquid, and out came her very reflection, except she bore red eyes that appeared lost of all thought, and a dress of wide yellow and blue stripes. Stepping onto the sink table as she came out, she fell face-first on the floor. “Ow!” She helped herself up, shaking back to her senses. “What the-? H-How did I get here? W-Where am I?” She was panicking horrendously inside. As if she got herself drunk and winded up in the wrong side of town. “C-Can somebody help me?! Nnnnn!” She ran out of the bathroom and out the abandoned restaurant with wind-like speed, searching around desperately once on the snowy streets.

She shortly took notice of a woman who bore very little clothing, and because of the sudden blizzard that just erupted, she was shivering. “Bh-h-h-h-h, it’s usually not so cold out. I’d go back for a coat, but not after-”

“HEEEEY! E-E-Excuse meeeee!” The woman turned as the little blue-haired girl ran over. “I-I don’t know where I-” She stopped when she faced Ydnew up close. Both of them stared with stunned expressions. It was like looking at a silly mirror in an amusement park. “Y-You look… like me.”

“Uhhhh… yeah, you do too.” _Oh my god, do not tell me she’s my *** Positive._

“C-Can you please help me? I-I-I must’ve fallen asleep, a-and now I’m here, I-I-I don’t know where I am, and I, I, _sniff sniff_..” The child began to sob.

 _No good leaving her here to get kidnapped._ “Look, just calm down you brat, I’ll take you someplace warm.”

**Sane Reboog’s**

This restaurant of healthy foods and dairies was one of the warmest places in town, good for recovering from blizzards that just show up under the eye of the already-inaccurate weather forecast (unless one watches Retlaw Slohcin, the greatest weatherman in Acirema). Ydnew purchased two steaming cups of coffee to warm herself and this child up. “Ugh, these stretched goosebumps look hideous. So where’d you come from again?”

“I told you, I don’t remember, I-I got a little lost and I just fell asleep or something. Th-Thank you for helping me, I don’t know what I’d do if I’d…”

“Yeah yeah, just stop sobbing. Look, I’m gonna hang out with some friends over here, so if you’re gonna hang with me, just don’t get in my way.” _Bet my stupid DAD got her here to “take care of myself” or some crap._

“O-Okay. My name’s Wendy, by the way. What’s your name?”

“Yd-…” She probably had no idea, though. Maybe she shouldn’t tell her. “…Edola.”

“Hi, Edola. Thanks again.”

“Yeah, just stay in the corner, don’t get in any trouble.” She was about to walk away-

“WAIT!” Wendy chased as Ydnew turned to her with aggravation. “I-I wanna ask… a-are you, m-my mom?”

_“What?”_

“I-I was abandoned at an orphanage and no one knows who my parents were, but you, you look just like me, even my hair, s-so I thought, you could _definitely_ be my mom. ‘Course, you also look pretty young, s-so maybe you had me as a mistake and didn’t wanna raise a child, so… you…” Edola’s glaring eyes made her voice fade, “I-I take it back, forget I said that, I’m sorry if I offended you. But the similarities are JUST too… there!!”

“Well, I can safely assure you I’m no one’s mother, and I certainly don’t-”

“Then you’re my sister or something, PLEASE don’t leave!” She blurted out desperately. “I don’t have anyone, no family no friends, you’re WAY too similar to just. . .”

“…” This girl was even too pathetic to turn away. “Look, I said you can stay with me, just don’t get too up in my business.”

“I-I won’t, promise. Oh, but um… there is a slight problem. I’m also an airbender that was born with really strong chi, so things might get… a little windy.”

 _So that’s what happened._ “Oh, I see. Is it that bad?”

“In the same place for too long, yeah.”

“Well then we’re going to have to make some arran-”

“HEEEEEY, Ydnew, there you are!” Ydnew’s heart bounced at the call of this voice, turning as three girls who looked in their 20s came in. They were Ycul Yelhsa – a blonde girl with a black zip-up top and black pants, Anac Anorebla – a beautiful girl in a frilly white shirt and long pink skirt, a bergère hat with a pink rose, and blackish-brown hair that matched her eyes, and Aivuj Reskcol – a girl with blue hair like Ydnew, except a lighter tone and big curls at their edges, with a white shirt tied in a knot above her belly, and short dark-blue skirt with brown leggings. “Didn’t think you were showin’ up-” Ydnew immediately zipped over and clapped Ycul’s mouth shut.

 _“Ssssssss!_ You see that brat over there?” She nudged to Wendy. “She’s…Sh-She’s from the Posiverse, and her name is Wendy. But I don’t want her to know where she is ‘cause she might panic, so I told her my name’s Edola, y’all will have to make up names for yourselves.”

“Oh, for the love of-… wait… frontwards, YOUR name is Wendy.” Ycul observed.

“Yes, it’s a real coincidence, I know. A real _uncanny_ coincidence.”

“The poor thing.” Anac said with a mopey face. “Are you sure she can’t go back through a mirror?”

“Yeah, probably. Give me a sec.” With that, she went back to Wendy and took her hand, leading her to the restrooms.

“Why did that lady call you ‘Ednew’?” Wendy asked.

“It’s my nickname, all right, don’t call me it.”

Once inside the women’s restroom, they faced the mirror. “BACK YOU GO.” She picked Wendy up and shoved her forcefully against it.

“AHH! HEY-! HEY-! What are you do-o-oi-i-ing?”

“Grrrr! _Why! Won’t. She. Go?”_ She banged Wendy against the glass several times.

“Uuuuuuueeeeee.” The 10-year-old girl became dizzy.

“Um… THAT’S what’ll happen if you get in my way too much. I’m not nice, you got that?”

“O-o-o-o-okay.”

**Dnalevelc Mall**

“I can’t _believe_ we’re shopping for Christmas supplies under Nerehc’s orders.” Sicnarf said as he, Inap, Nollid, Ydolem, and Nosam rode up an escalator.

“Me either. He changed so much since he went to Termina.” Ininap smiled proudly. “And he got the Nimbi with him after all, Sicnarf.”

“I guess that means we’ll be working with them soon.” Nollid sighed. “It’s such a pain though.”

“No it isn’t, Nollid, it sounds wonderful.” Ydolem sang quietly. “Two cultures sharing different values. They may even come to love _Sapphire Happy_.”

“Ooooooh I must buy my lovely Lorac a hundred presents for all she’s done.” Nosam said with hearts in his eyes. “A soap and sponge to scrub her darling body clean after a day’s work, a toothbrush and some paste, the freshest foods to keep her body healthy, perhaps I will buy her her own private-”

“And I’ll buy you a brain that you’ll just lose later.” Nollid clutched Nosam’s hood.

At the top of the escalator, they split into two groups, Sicnarf & Inap and Nollid, Nosam, and Ydolem. The latter three entered a toy store with toys of less-than-memorable characters, but if they wanted stuff to kick around, make something useful. “Hmmm.” Ydolem sighed as she held a Sapphire Happy doll.

“What’s wrong.” Nollid said in a non-question form.

“I would always love to go shopping with my brother. This Christmas will feel so empty without him. I still can’t imagine why he’d do this.”

“Well uh, how ‘bout for Christmas, I find your brother and turn him into a baby hippo?”

“Hm hm hm, generous, but I’m not sure where he is.”

“Oh, he’ll show himself eventually. …Until then though, maybe I can search for other agents, like during the Christmas party.”

“If you just went around and checked everybody for DNKG markings, wouldn’t that ruin the party?”

“Not the worst thing that could ruin it. But I see your point. If only there was a way…?” Out of the corner of his eye, Nollid saw a door in the shop’s corner, a purple one with a fancy flashy design, making him question how he missed it coming in.

Nollid walked toward it slowly and creaked it open. The room inside was colored bright purple, further mesmerizing him as he went in. The walls on either side were made of glass, exposing the endless, rotating stars outside, an illusion Nollid thought. Hanging around the normal walls were rows of various masks. Nollid walked up to one that depicted a Mexican wrestler, taking and studying it. The room echoed with light footsteps when a tall man in a grinning, emotional face approached from behind. “Fascinated?”

Nollid turned with a quizzical look. “This is some… shop you have here.”

“I thank you. Masks have always been my livelihood.” He softly rubbed a frowning ghostly mask on the wall. “I just have… so many memories with them. But you wouldn’t understand.”

“Yes. But this is a magic shop.”

He looked at Nollid with the same emotional grin. “Oh, is it?”

“It is. That’s why it wasn’t immediately visible coming in, and even the most novice wizard knows a weather or sky illusion.”

“My… what a smart little boy.”

“Then these are all magic masks. They each have a special power.”

“Literally, yes. But each of them possesses a spiritual connection.” He took a Goron Mask and felt it lovingly. “Why, if you knew what events these masks have been through… I encourage others to study and engage in the philosophy of masks, to understand what bonds they bring.”

“Well, maybe I can start. Are there any X-ray masks of some kind?”

“I believe you want the Falcon’s Eyes.” The Mask Man took a pair of blood-red specs inside golden-brown frame and earpieces, the tops of said frames designed like furrowed, bushy eyebrows. “These special glasses allow one to see through anything. See for yourself.” He gave them to Nollid, who put them on.

Standing before him was a tall, lean skeleton with grinning teeth and sad eyes. “But I don’t want to see through flesh.”

“Turn down the dial on the left.” On his cue, Nollid felt for the tiny dial and turned counterclockwise, skin gradually appearing over the skeleton—“AAAAAHH misfire, misfire!” Nollid averted from the sight and turned it down the rest of the way, so the clothes were fully over his subject. “Sigh… yeah, this could work, though. Whaddo I owe you?”

“Just knowing my masks are making people happy is pay enough.”

“That’ll put bread on the table. I guess I’ll see you later then.” He began to walk out.

“Oh! If you flick the small lever on the right lens’ top, the eyes can also see through illusions.”

“Got it. Thanks!” Nollid was gone.

Having satisfied another customer, the man was happy. He turned back to his desk with his unchanging grin. _I am thankful… he did not use the glasses to see through my disguise. This horrible face under my mask… how can anyone stomach it._

**Dnalhsa; Kcuhc .E Beer’s**

“YEEEEEEEEAAAA, seven-hundred TICKEEETS, HIT ME, GIRLS!” Aivuj and Anac smiled and sprayed beer down Ycul’s mouth. Yes, what was normally a fun children’s restaurant in the Posiverse, it was STILL fun, with games and all, but instead of a free pizza, the prizes involved engorging heavy amounts of alcohol. So no way teenagers could be bored or annoyed here.

Ydnew leaned against a pole and exercised her lungs with smoke, catching glances with cute, hunky boys walking by. Finally, a cute Black boy approached her. “Hey, Doll. What’s yours?”

“Ydnew. What’s it to ya?”

“Is that your sister over there?” He indicated the child sitting on a chair by the entrance, a sign over her reading _Child corner for children customers were forced to watch._ Every time someone entered or left, a strong wind blew snow inside that made Wendy shudder.

“Uuuuuhh… yes.”

“I like hanging with friends too, but maybe this isn’t the place for her. You should take her to a place she likes.”

“Say the word and I’ll splorp you to another dimension.”

“Just sayin’.” He kept walking.

Ydnew blew another smoke as Anac approached her. “If you want, Ydnew, I can take her over to my place. I’m not really as active as you guys.”

“No, we’ll think of somethin’. I wish I coulda sent her back, though.”

“Maybe she’s looking for her Negative. Goodness, if it weren’t for the age difference, I’d say that was you.”

“She could be a time-traveler.” Aivuj came and told them. “I heard Negatives don’t go through time with ‘em.”

“So what Yds, does she look like your twerpy 10-year-old self or what?” asked Ycul with a smirk.

“Umm…” Ydnew was sweating inside, “I…”

“Niiiil, I told you to come BAAAAACK!” They all looked toward the entrance, finding two girls, a taller one with black hair and a flowing white dress – about 10 years old, and a shorter one with blackish-gray hair, 7 years, and a pink dress with a bow. The younger girl was forcefully tugging the older one.

“I don’ wanna Us, I wanna play in the grown-up place!” Nil refuted.

“It’s not for yooooouuuu, we’re supposed to be finding…” Both girls spotted the tall, blue-haired girl with her friends. “YDNEW!” They excitedly ran over.

“Oh, geez.” huffed Ydnew.

“Who are they again?” Aivuj asked.

“Couple of brats who come from Negatar Realms with some Veggie Ship. Nil and Niyus Gnofieb.”

“Yddy, where have you BEEN. Your dad wants you back!” Niyus yelled.

“Tell him I ain’t COMING back. Not ‘til my merry Christmas is through.”

“Yeah, US, let Yddy have fun. **I** wanna play, too!” Nil yelled.

“NOOOOOooooo! She’s supposed to be coming BACK with us!” Us pushed Nil.

“I wanna PLAY!” Nil pushed back.

“Stop PUSHING me!”

“Stop pushing ME!”

“NNNNNN!” Both sisters grabbed and rolled around on the floor before they slammed into a wall. “Uuuuuhh dizzy dizzyyyyyy.” They sat in place as their pale eyes spun.

“Girls got some weird eyes, ya know?” Ycul observed.

“That’s because they’re blind.” Ydnew confirmed.

“Poor dears! But they sound like they can see.” Anac replied.

“They’re shadowbenders, and their shadows can see. ‘Course, for shadowbenders, they’re a lot more active than they’re s’posed to be.”

“Come on, Yddy, let’s go play!” Nil shouted.

“Noooo, we’re s’posed to go hooooome!” whined Us.

“Look, I don’t wanna go with EITHER of you brats.” Ydnew told them firmly. “Bad enough I gotta watch this… where did she go?” She looked at the barren chair beside the entrance.

“I guess she just got bored and ran off.” Aivuj figured.

“What?! Are you sure?”

“Not too many twerps have blue hair like yours.” Ycul replied, looking around the restaurant.

“Oh, dammit! Come on, we have to go out and find her. Twerps, you’re helping too.”

“Hide and seek, YAAAAAAAY!” Nil joyfully ran off first.

“Wait up, Niiiiiiil!” Niyus chased her.

**DNK Moonbase**

Almost every DNK operative on the planet had come to see Moonbase’s first Christmas party. The base was always so dull and uninteresting, all of the colors and favors that now decorated it was blinding. Nerehc was never known to do anything so festive, they were just so curious what this would look like. “Hello, Nerehc. Merry First-Christmas-Ever.” Nollid greeted, handing his leader a present.

“Hey, Nollid. Still in love with my cousin?”

“No, and she’s not your cousin.”

“We’re moral cousins, that counts.”

“Anyway, I visited a magic mask store and I bought these.” Nollid showed him the Falcon’s Eyes. “They’re X-ray specs, and I wanted to use them to search for any DNKG spies.” He put them on and viewed Nerehc’s skeleton. “If that’s alright with you.”

“Those things won’t give us cancer, right?”

“They’re magic, so I can’t imagine. I’m sure there’re spells for it, anyway.”

“I appreciate the help, but I don’t want people feeling too uncomfortable. Just keep it subtle.”

“Okay.” When Nerehc walked away, Nollid began to adjust the dial on the glasses.

“I will never understand your fashion statements.” He turned and viewed the skeleton of Ednolal Notselgge. “Even though this is Negaverse, the costumes are still on Halloween.”

“Beat it, Edy, I’m doing somethin’.”

“Just don’t steal my soul with that thing.” So she walked away.

Nollid continued to adjust the mode of sight. “…AAAH!” He ducked for cover. “Ugh… I gotta set it so I’m still outside their underwear.” He frantically kept trying to adjust.

**Dnalhsa outskirts**

Wendy had already run miles away from town, a fierce blizzard left in her wake. There really was no reason for her to stay, and it would be dangerous if she did. “I’m just becoming a burden for Ms. Edola.” she said to herself. “I should just get out of her way.” _But still… she looks so similar to me. I just can’t except that we aren’t related. Siiigh… but what can I do about it. I was abandoned for a reason._

She stopped for a breath after getting a good distance from town. She had no idea where to go… but that nearby glass building looked decent enough. It looked like a greenhouse, so she wondered if it would be any warm this time of year. She decided to go check it out.

This greenhouse was among the most vegetated areas in all the Negaverse. Plants and herbs of all kinds, diverse types of bugs from many countries of the world, all under the care of a single man. He was a charming gentleman with sleek black hair and cool yellow eyes, wearing a black tuxedo, pants, shoes, and a stern expression as he watered a purple rose garden. “Hoooo, what kind of world are we living in that insists on destroying itself. Denying itself the beauty of nature.” He waved his free hand as a beanstalk quickly sprouted behind him. “Am I all the world has to let Earth live? No… I’m sure there are others. After all… a cruel world must have kindness. That’s why… ours is no different from theirs.”

A sudden wind blew inside, the man looking to the entrance as a blue-haired girl rushed in and shut the door. “S-Sorry! I need a place to stay for awhile, i-if it’s inconvenient, I’ll leave…”

“Nooo… please stay.” He focused again on his roses. “To stay… to go… what is the human spirit?”

“S-…Sorry?” Wendy questionably approached him. “Um… my name’s Wendy. May I have your name?”

“It’s Raseac. Raseac Atnalamid. Botanist. Plantbender. What _is_ a title.”

“You have a very beautiful greenhouse.”

“Yes… but invite all the humans here, why don’t you. Sooner or later, a greenhouse is all we’ll have. Our world is steadily climbing with poisons. The world is becoming far too unnatural. One day… they will beg me for shelter. Raseac Atnalamid, the savior of the Earth.”

“It couldn’t possibly be that bad. I’ve always found the Earth to be very… pretty.”

“Mmmmm, I envy a child’s innocence. So oblivious to all that occurs. 20 years ago, a child would not be acting so absurd. This greenhouse is only miles away from a dark mountain that used to stand. One that contained a very evil spirit. Yes… long has he been forgotten.”

“Oh. Well, I’ll try not to be too much a nuisance here. I promise to leave as soon as I can.”

“Though clearly you are already a nuisance within your own soul, ergo you’ve broken both promises.” Raseac looked at a single black lotus floating in a pond. “Ahhhh, but in this world of lies, what can one possibly do? Uhsorororororororor.” He whirled his hand softly, the lotus spinning slowly. “If you’re gonna stay though, pick up a watering can and help out.”

“Okay.”

**Downtown Dnalhsa**

“BLUE GIRLLLLL.” Nil cried around the town.

“BLUE GIRRRLLLLLL!” Niyus cried with her.

“Where ARE yooooouuuu?”

“COOOOME OOOOOOUUUUUT!”

Ydnew was floating above and searching the town from bird’s-eye view, but there was no sign of her Positive. The fierce wind that blew earlier uncontrollably had died down, so it led Ydnew to believe Wendy had gone away. Not that she was sure how fast airbenders were. “You SEE HER ANYWHERE?”

“NO, but I hooked me a couple of big ones.” Ycul called back.

“It’s so cold out here, can’t we go in for some tea?” Anac cried.

“GET USED TO IT.” Aivuj yelled.

The four girls eventually met back on a snow-covered street. “Look, why don’t we just forget about ALL these brats and hit a casino or something?” Ycul asked. “For all we know, twerp probably got back to the Posiworld on her own.”

“But she wouldn’t go back when I… I still say we should keep looking for her.” Ydnew insisted.

“Why? It’s not like she really IS your Positive.” Aivuj said. “You just found her on the street, why do you care if she. . .”

Ydnew just remained silent and looked at the ground. She could feel her friends’ stares. Along with the pounding of her dimensionally-stretched heart. “Because she’s… lost. If you were lost, wouldn’t you want someone to help you? And a little twerp wouldn’t understand being in another dimension.”

“Don’t a whole army of brats know about the Posiverse?” Ycul asked. “And didn’t YOU send a brat to another universe a few weeks ago?”

“And what about those-” Aivuj began.

“Yddyyyyyy! YDDYYYYYY!” There came the two brats in question. “We found her, we found her!” Nil jumped.

“No we didn’t, the SHADOWS did!” Niyus whined.

“NIY led us into a trashcan!”

“No I didn’t, NIL did!” The two engaged in another shoving contest.

“WHERE DID you find her?” Ydnew demanded, pulling them apart.

“OUT THE-E-E-E-ERE!” They pointed outside of town, to a small distant light surrounded by a snowy whirlwind.

“Oh, I know that place!” Anac beamed. “It’s the greenhouse Mr. Atnalamid owns.”

“Little brat’s gotta be fast to get all the way out there.” Ycul mentioned.

“Let’s go, girls.” Ydnew flew ahead using her Space Floating while the other five chased.

**Raseac’s Greenhouse**

Seven black lotuses floated in the pond as Raseac repositioned them in various orders and shapes with his plantbending. He held an unbudded white lotus in his left hand, holding his right above it, made the gesture of moving it up and opening, causing the lotus to bloom as he let it float with the black ones. He looked at one of the upper levels as Wendy watered some dangling bellplants, which jingled happily from the drink. “I see you’re an airbender.” he said.

“Y…Yes.”

“No one else so agile could jump up that ladder. Be careful, because I have this place partly chi-blocked. Element benders, though aggressive, are natural-born entities. I must limit the use of chi to prevent any dangers to my garden, but not so much as to stop a natural flow. A bender that is unavailable to any use of their chi will grow unhealthy. They will be spiritually limp inside. But it’s also unhealthy to make the wrong use of chi. This is why a balance must exist.”

“I think my chi is a little too unbalanced, though. Everywhere I go, I leave a storm. No matter what, I can’t control it.”

“Doesn’t everybody leave a storm wherever they go? Such is life. In order for a storm to pass, it must happen. As you grow, you will see that storm pass.”

“Hmmm… grow…”

“THERE you are!” A sudden gust of wind blew in the entrance when Ydnew and her friends barged in and slammed the door. “Wendy, what are you doing here??”

“M-Miss Edola!” Wendy jumped off the walkway and fell softly using her air. “Y-You came looking for me?”

“Is _that_ what you’re calling yourself?” Raseac asked quizzically to Ydnew.

“Oh… it’s you.” Ydnew said with an unpleasant look.

“You know each other?” Wendy asked.

“I’m one of her father’s friends.” Raseac made two lotuses spin above his hand with his bending. “Rebellious child, isn’t she? _Edola_?”

“So did you two… talk?” questioned Ydnew.

“A little. But I thought I’d leave _you_ to the important parts.”

“WAAAAAAOOOOO!” Nil’s mouth stretched to an ‘O’. “That girl looks JUST like-” Ydnew kicked her in the head.

“I know, it’s _uncanny_.”

“Miss Edola, I thought you didn’t want me around.” Wendy said with a frown. “I made you look bad w-with that guy, I thought I was ruining your night with your friends, so…”

“Well, you’re still lost, aren’t you? Gotta help you find your parents—I mean, your home- your orphanage.”

“M-My orphanage kicked me out because of my wind curse.” Wendy frowned. “I…I really don’t have a home. I just run around and do… sigh, just about all I do is run.”

“…” Ydnew felt a little sympathy for the girl. She only wanted to keep her safe to begin with ‘cause she was her Positive and she might get hurt here. But now she felt a desire to comfort her; even if she was a different person, she was still Ydnew’s reflection… er, she wasn’t sure how the whole thing worked, but still. “Let’s find a place to sit down then, wanna?”

She took Wendy’s hand and led her up a small flight of stairs to a higher floor with many pots and plants. They had a seat on twin stools and faced out the glass wall, viewing the snowy expanse. “I’m sorry if I worried you any.” Wendy said. “N-No one ever wanted to… have me around.”

“So you… don’t have any idea who your parents are.”

“No. But you have parents, don’t you? Mr. Atnala…something said you had a father.”

“Yeah, I do. If you ask me, you’re lucky.” Ydnew said with her smug look. “Telling you what to do, what you CAN’T do, even when you’re a grown woman, my father’s a pain. You know what I’d give to run around like you? And I do, too. No one to control me, act like my owner, no one to…”

“No one to love you.” Tears welled in Wendy’s eyes, looking at the floor. “If your father didn’t act that way, it means he wouldn’t love you. If he doesn’t want you to leave, it means he cares about you too much. It sounds annoying, but… you don’t know how much I wish someone would do that with me. I’ll become a grown woman, and my parents would be crushed to know I can survive on my own. That’s the kind of life I…”

Ydnew hated seeing her upset. Maybe because she was watching _herself_ cry, and Ydnew never cried. This twerp was so sensitive, even if Ydnew was actually 10 years old, she had the body and heart of a 20-year-old, she had the toughness to take on anything. Wendy was definitely her opposite.

The red-eyed child wiped the tears away with her arm, facing Ydnew with a brighter smile. “When I first saw you, Miss Edola, I could’ve sworn I was looking at myself. H-How I’ve always dreamed of being. Smart, mature, having friends, the desire to run away from my parents and make my own choices. But you look so much like me, it’s as if… I’ve traveled through time, and you’re trying to keep that a secret from me so I don’t destroy the Space-Time Continuum. If not for the blue eyes and normal _rounded_ ears, I would totally think that.”

“I-I know. …” Ydnew looked outside. “In fact, when I look at you, I kinda see myself as a kid again. Sneaking out, running around on my own, being free from Mom and Dad’s rules. And since I still do that, it’s like I _am_ … still a kid.”

“He he he. Yeah. Life is really funny that way, huh? But I guess I can only hope to become as old and mature as you. And when I _am_ older, I’ll have control of my airbending too, I bet!”

“Yeah, maybe you will.” Ydnew smiled. “Just… you know, learn to take care of yourself.”

“I will. _Hey_ , is your family having Christmas dinner??” she asked brightly.

“Uhhh… y-yeah, I think so.”

“CAN I come too, oh pretty pretty _pleeeeaaaase_?” Her eyes never looked so pleading.

“I dunno. Your curse thing might be a little-”

“I won’t stay long, I promise! Just for a little while, I just…I just wanna know what a real family dinner is like.”

“Nnnnnnnn-nnnnnnnn-nnnnnnnnnnnnnn-” It was like staring at Medusa: Wendy’s pretty face made Ydnew frozen.

“Hey, that makes me realize somethin’.” Ycul said as she, Anac, and Aivuj came up. “How COME we never go to your house?”

“Because my father is an idiot, that’s why.”

“But ‘e’s gotta be away from home sometime!”

“And if you want to show him you’re a grown woman, you need to bring some grown friends over to send him the message.” Aivuj insisted.

“Oh, can we PLEASE, Ydnew?” pleaded Anac with folded hands. “I bet you have the LOVELIEST house! Any father that wants her daughter to behave like a lady should.” ;)

“Weeeeeelllll-” moaned Ydnew.

“THEN it’s settled!” Ycul fist-palmed. “We’re ALL going to Yddy’s for Christmas dinner!”

“Party at Yddy’s, party at Yddy’s!” Nil jumped.

“At least we’re bringing her home.” Us replied.

“That’s so great!” Wendy smiled with pure joy. “I can’t wait!”

“Hurry up and warp us, Yddy!” Aivuj encouraged.

“YES, take us RIGHT to your front door!” Anac cheered.

“We’re ready when you are!” Ycul winked.

“. . . . . . . . . . . . EEEEEEEeeeeeeehhhhhhhh.” It seemed Ydnew was at an impasse.

“If you are unable to warp, I’d suggest going outside, as one of my chi-limits is any sort of teleportation.” Raseac told them. “If there is still something wrong, I’d be more than happy to call your father-”

“OKAY, **FINE** , you all wanna come to my house, BE MY GUESTS, let the PARTY begin!” She began stomping down the stairs, toward the exit.

“Yaaaay! Party is on!” Nil jumped, joining her with Us.

“I call the first 10 chips!” Ycul called.

And as Ydnew led the 6 girls out into the snows, she thought to herself: what had she done.

**Blue Eye’s Home**

It was such a beautiful night. No clouds… only stars. Endless galaxies. Red Eye and Blue Eye stood upon the roof, gazing at their marvel, their black and bright capes blowing in the breeze. “Blue Eye… have you ever heard the story of Guru Laghima?”

“Who is that?”

“He was a wise airbender who lived in the Avatar Realms. They say he was the first human airbender to fly without wings or aid. His heart was as light as a spirit’s. He bore no woes.”

“That’s amazing. Was he a Logia?”

“I don’t know. People called him a revolutionary. He once said that new growth cannot commence without the destruction of the old. Some believe that… he sensed what is going to happen.”

“But if destruction like _this_ were to happen… there won’t be any new growth to commence.”

“True. But I believe we are missing a crucial component: our children.”

“Children?”

“The new growth that is commencing is our children. And this generation will carry our legacy when that cataclysm comes. In our destruction… our children will grow.”

“Not unnaturally, I hope. I want my daughter to… find the right path.”

“…Do you know _how_ Guru Laghima achieved aidless flight?”

“How?”

“He let go of his earthly tether. Entered the void.” Red Eye closed his eye. “Emptied… and became wind. He abandoned that which attached him to the world. Abandoned everything he loved or desired. His heart, light as a spirit… allowed him to fly.”

“But… to sacrifice everything you love… who would choose such a life?”

“Such a life does not have to be. There are other ways to fly without aid.” Eye still closed, he stepped toward the edge. “In spirituality and physicality in elements, there are two sides:” He was on his toes. “Light… and _darkness_.” He fell over the roof, and at that moment, soared to the air. His arms spread out. Eye closed, feeling the chill on his face. He felt so free.

“Oooooh!” His Negative gaped. “So all along… you were-”

“To use Air is to know freedom. I want my daughter to know this freedom. That’s why… I abandoned her.”

“Well, I don’t believe in true freedom. Children need control and discipline. Such a path will only create chaos.”

“But to fight chaos is to know chaos. Perhaps that is the true path. _Sniiiiiff…”_ The atmosphere possessed a lovely scent. “I think you were right, Blue Eye. Laghima might have well have been Air’s first Logia.”

**DNK Moonbase**

Half an hour passed as the operatives had to get a few more things ready, then the party could really begin. “Things look all right so far.” Nerehc said to Sipa. “I sent Arorua and Sirhc to go get Mom. Nothing kicks off a party like an exploding head.”

“It’s no doubt, Nerehc, you are truly a revolutionary leader.” Sipa remarked. “To think I’d be celebrating Christmas for you.”

“Yeah…”

“Nerehc, Nerehc!” They saw Ikuyim jump happily. “Here come the Nimbi!”

A small fleet of ships parked in the hangar. Floating inside were the black-winged angels with pale skin and modern-style clothing – it’s not like all they wore were crummy old robes, this ain’t Greece. Naturally, both the humans and angels showed resentful looks toward the other, but not all of them, not Asia, Ydolem, or even Ibsej. The Nimbi Leader smiling, she landed on the floor a few feet from Nerehc. “Numbuh -27 B.C.E., we’re honored that you could join us.” He walked forward.

“Numbuh -3621, we are happy you invited us.” The two Supreme Leaders shook hands.

From above all the action, Nollid skimmed the crowds with the Falcon’s Eyes, using a central dial to zoom in closer. Seeing through the main clothes, outside the underwear, Nollid indeed found many concealed ‘DNKG’ inscriptions, making a list of all the names he knew. “I hate to crash Nerehc’s party, but…”

And when passing his vision by Ibsej, that’s when he saw it: a faint red laser, invisible to the naked eye. Easily hidden from everyone else… but not Nollid’s Eyes. Moving his vision up the laser, his X-rays saw where it came from. “TRANSFIGURO!!” A spark in his brain made him whip out his wand and send a spell at Ibsej.

The Nimbi zapped into a tiny fly before Nerehc’s wide, stunned eyes. The base erupted with panic, and the Nimbi guards immediately pulled out guns. Anger fueling his system, Nerehc looked up and positioned his fingers to shoot lightning. “Who-?!”

“STUPEFY!” Nollid blasted a spell at a nearby vent. More panic ensued when a round-shaped body with a sniper rifle plummeted to the lowest floor. “Ednolal.” Nollid gritted his teeth. “I knew it.”

He dropped to the floor below and whipped his wand to change Ibsej back to normal. “You two need to look at this.” He showed both leaders his list.

After a quick skim, Ibsej was confused, but Nerehc never seemed more furious. “Will the following operatives, please come up to me NOW: Yrret Krots, Aenara Thgirbluf, Eel Nosyarg, Enaillihr Ztimelbod, and Yenmihc Ureku-”

The moment the latter’s name was uttered, a blackish-green smokescreen swallowed the room, coughs all around. Asia took to the air and blew all the gas away with an expanding airball, and seeing her Sector Leader shuffling through crowds, Asia flew above and pinned her down with a powerful gust. In her struggle to get up, Ahcom came and made her body limp with Gentle Fist. Aenara punched many boys in the crotch as she fought through, but the moment her eyes met Ibyf’s up close, she lost all sense of escaping and fell to her knees, begging for mercy to her captors. A great radius of crowd suddenly fell down from Yrret’s psychic blast, but- “AAAAAH!” there would be no escaping from Eitra’s grasp when he tackled. “You did NOT just psycho-push me!!” Eel used metalbending to uplift the floor and push several kids, but Ynned leapt and bashed him in the head with his baseball bat, leaving Ulul to tie him up with vines. Finally, Enaillihr sliced people away with waterbending, until his cousin, Noraa froze him solid in an ice cube.

With that, all 5 traitors were brought before Nerehc and Ibsej. “So why’d you all do it?” was all he could ask them.

“Goodness, you were irresponsible!” Yrret proclaimed. “Regardless of this change, it’s a little too late.”

“ _My_ sector was the most reliable one there was, but _I_ wasn’t planning to take all them on all by myself.” Eel stated. “All you lazy idiots pushed me to this.”

“Even you, Yenmihc?” Nerehc glared at the -W7 leader. “After you helped make the alliance?”

“Aluben… promised to show us God.” Yenmihc uttered. “She was the only person that.. made me hope.”

“She didn’t have to be the only one. Lock them in prison.” The respective captors nodded and carried the traitors away with some guards. “Sigh… what a party this became.”

“To be honest, I was gonna show you later, ‘til I saw the assassination attempt.” Nollid said.

“No, Nollid. We can’t really risk any of them running around. Thanks for your help.”

“I thought the treaty would make people more hopeful, but even _my_ operatives are still in unrest.” Ibsej replied.

“Were there anymore?” Nerehc asked Nollid.

“I didn’t know all their names, but I wrote down clothes and hair colors…”

“Oh, I see. Sigh… Merry Inspection Day, everybody. Everyone line up so Nollid can inspect you. Make sure all exits are closed until we’re done. We’re not risking anymore assassination attempts…”

**Ydnew’s House**

The team of seven splorped out of space onto a snowy ground, standing before a small, shabby-looking house that was lodged into the mountainside. “Wow… no wonder you never took us here.” Ycul said.

“It’s like a… big dollhouse.” Anac observed.

“I-It’s not all bad. It’s… serene.” Wendy said modestly.

Ydnew faced them with a deadly glare as she pointed up. Their expressions changed from displeasure to astonishment: the mountain slanted up at a very steep angle, and many small buildings with windows or balconies stuck out at areas. It was clear that Ydnew implied her house stretched up many floors, which would hopefully leave much room for partying. “Yeah, my dad had our house built in the Naihcalappa Mountains. Well… let’s go in.”

“Oh, I am so excited!!” Wendy exclaimed with joy. “My first Christmas dinner!”

“Y-Yeah…” Worry still coursing through her mind, Ydnew opened the door with her key. “DAAAAD, I’m HOOOOME. And I brought some-”

“PARTYYYYYYYY!” Nil dashed between Ydnew’s legs and past the living room.

“Niiiiiil!” Niyus chased her, going past Blue Eye just when he came in.

A tad startled, the ghostly-white man looked at his 20-year-old daughter, with her same-aged friends and a strange, young guest with red eyes. “Uhh… well, I see you brought company over.” He spoke with a sheepish smile. “I wish you would’ve called before..”

“Hello, Sir!” Wendy greeted brightly. “My name is Wendy! I was lost, and Edola found me. I hope it’s OK if I stay for dinner, I promise I won’t be too long.” She bowed.

“W…Wendy? _Edola?_ ” He looked between Wendy’s ecstatic face and his daughter’s sheepish grin. “…It’s a pleasure to have you, Wendy! And you girls, um… feel free to make yourselves at home, but please behave yourselves, I must talk to my daughter.”

“TO THE COUCH!!” Ycul flung off her boots and leaped rear-first toward said furniture, resting her feet on the table and flipping on the tele.

“I need to shower ‘fore we get started.” Aivuj ran off to the bathroom.

“Awwwwww check out Baby Ydneeeewwww!” Anac cooed at the picture of the baby in the sink. “Taking baths in the sink, I’d mistake her for a DOLL, she’s so tiny!”

“I’ll go find Nil and Niyus.” Wendy smiled sheepishly, running off.

With each girl doing their own thing, Blue Eye led his daughter to an empty hallway. “You brought her to this world, didn’t you.” she stated firmly.

“No, I didn’t, but you can’t keep denying them the truth.”

“I-…I don’t want her to worry. If she’s my Positive, I should know her better than anyone, and if she learns that we’re connected, she might go crazy and worry about me dyin’ or somethin’.”

“And you aren’t worried about _her_ dying?”

“Of course I am, why d’you think I’m trying to protect her?? I mean, I don’t WORRY about this Positive/Negative thing, that’s how I know SHE will.”

“If she does, I wouldn’t blame her. Knowing the kind of things you do when you go out, I WOULD be afraid of dying.”

“Dad, for the last time, what’s the WORST that could happen, everyone does it!”

“Yes, everyone -18 and _down_ does it, but you’re only TEN. If you were an older, mature woman, I might let you make these choices, but you’re still young, you just aren’t smart enough, and I know you’re as afraid for your survival as I am.”

“And what makes you say that?”

“Your _Positive_. You were afraid for her running around in this world because if she were in danger, you were, weren’t you?”

“Er… okay, _maybe_ I was, but she… she…  just doesn’t have anyone looking out for her.” She looked down.

“Then would she sleep well knowing her Negative’s father is only looking out for her best interests, but all she can think of doing is risk both of their lives with _drinking, smoking_ , and… God knows WHAT else?”

“… … . . I’m sorry, Dad. I was just tired of being so cooped up all the time.”

“You’re my daughter, and I want you to be happy. But I also want you to live a long, fulfilling life. And your daily activities… just will defeat that purpose.”

“But…But what about Wendy? She doesn’t have anyone.”

“I don’t believe her _own_ father shares my views. At the same time… I believe he is watching over her. And won’t let harm come. I also believe she will find her own friends one day, too. And _they_ will look after her. As for your friends… you need to show them the real you. Tell the truth to Wendy.”

“…Okay… I’ll do it.” Ydnew nervously walked to the nearest bathroom.

“I’m proud of you, Ydnew.”

**Other bathroom**

_“Hm hmmmmmm hm hm hm hm hmmmmmmm…”_ Aivuj was deeply enjoying her shower. After all the blistering cold outside, there was no greater pleasure than showing her sleek, slim body to steam.

“Can’t CATCH me, Us!” Nil cheered, running in.

“Come BACK, Nil, Miss Aivuj is taking a SHOOOWEEEEEER!” The younger child chased her around in circles.

“Keh heh! Come back, you guys!” Wendy happily chased them in as well. “We have to go get ready for Christmas-” A bar of soap fell on the floor during their scuffle, and Wendy had the unfortunate pleasure of slipping on it. “WHOOOAA!” Her head slammed hard on the floor. She was out cold.

“WAAAAAAH!” Nil and Niyus screamed. “Wendy’s DEEEEAAD!”

“No she isn’t! Does she have any bruises?” Us asked. Both of their shadows examined the girl’s head. There was a light bump.

“Hold her up by the mirror so she can see!” With that, both girls hoisted Wendy onto her feet, using what strength they possessed to make her face the mirror.

“She’s heavy, Niiiil!”

“Come on, Wendyyyyy! Waaaake up-” Nil stepped on the soap. “WAAAAH!” Her sudden movements made both sisters unstable, and Wendy was thrown headfirst into the liquefied mirror. “Oooowww.” Nil rubbed her rear. “Huh?… Where did Wendy go?”

“I don’t knooow…”

**Posiverse; Cullin’s House of Mirrors**

This dark, barren shop was closed for Christmas, so no one was around to witness a blue-haired girl tumble out of a large mirror on the wall. “Owww… oh?” She regained consciousness and looked with total confusion. This wasn’t Edola’s house. Not at all. She slipped and fell, and in a split second, she was here. “H-How… did I get here?”

She headed for the store’s unlocked exit (security, much?) and viewed the snowy street outside. The street’s seemed empty wherever she was this night, as people were likely home for Christmas. “W-Was I… dreaming? Did I run so much, I ended up sleeprunning?” _Then I looked in the mirrors and dreamed of seeing my older self…_ It all made sense to her. Edola’s striking appearance. A family Christmas dinner. It was never real…

**Ydnew’s House**

After her shower, Aivuj joined her friends in the living room, Ycul munching chips on the couch and Anac giggling at Ydnew’s baby pictures. Wendy walked in with a downtrodden look – in Ydnew’s clothes. “Hey, Windgrl. Yddy showin’ you the latest fashions?” Ycul asked.

“Actually, uh… I’m Ydnew.”

“?” Ycul was skeptical. “Last I checked, Ydnew had cans.”

Ydnew’s whole face flushed a burning red. “WELL, I AM!! I used spacebending to stretch my body, THIS IS what I actually look like! Wendy was my Positive all along, I’M JUST A 10-YEAR-OLD TWERP!”

At first, they thought it was a joke. Easy to make, since the appearance was so similar. But the tears in Ydnew’s clear blue eyes told them all they needed to. “You poor dearie!” Anac knelt down and embraced Ydnew in a hug. “After all this TIME!”

“So you were a… child all this time?!” Aivuj gasped.

“Yes! I was sick of feeling small and cramped up, not like all the pretty, older women, so I stretched my body to look like a teenager! Sniff. Now can you please not patronize me and leave?”

“So what? You don’t want us hangin’ out with you anymore?” Ycul asked.

“Y-You don’t want me to hang out with you, do you? Because I’m a shrimp.”

“Shrimp? Yddy, you’re our friend!” Anac hugged her warmly. “Big or small, we can’t picture our group without you! We’re so glad you were finally honest with us.”

“B-But…”

“Honestly, if you came to us in Shrimp Mode, we woulda pushed you down and kept walkin’.” Ycul confirmed. “But you know, I kinda like you. Even if you got wee titties.”

“Maybe we can’t do all the stuff we normally do with you,” Aivuj said, “but we can still have a lot of fun together.”

“Yeah, like playin’ dollhouse!” Ycul smirked and pinched Ydnew’s cheek with her toe. “And guess what your role is!”

Ydnew shook away. “So you… don’t care that I’m a 10-year-old?”

“Regardless of your bad listening skills, no.”

Ydnew forced a smile. “Thanks. I guess all I wanted was to… fit in. Oh! Where’s Wendy, she needs to know, too.”

“Last I heard, she was chasing Nil and Niyus in the bathroom.” Aivuj replied.

So with that, the four of them and Blue Eye ventured to the bathroom, where the two blind girls crawled about the floor like cats searching for grub. “Where’s Wendy?” Ydnew asked.

“Nil was running and made her fall!” Us yelled.

“I did noooooot!”

Ydnew glanced at the mirror—flinching at her reflection. She walked up and slowly placed her hand against its frame. Her cold blue eyes peered into her own. She was so… sad.

**Posiverse**

Wendy climbed onto the roof of the House of Mirrors, her stream of tears poking many tiny holes into the snow. Playing the dream over in her head… it was a nightmare. “I thought I finally had friends, hmf. A family, even. H-How could I be so… _stupid_?” The streets were clear of all life, no one to hear her cry. The pair of red eyes that watched her from the mist… even if he wanted to, he could never show himself now. Using an Imperius Curse on his own daughter.

**DNK Moonbase**

Several more DNKG agents were discovered amongst the crowd. Until he could schedule a date for questioning, Nerehc ordered them all locked in the dungeon. After that, the party officially begun, though with a lot less enthusiasm than Nerehc hoped. Eventually, he saw another R.E.P.M.A.C.S. coming to park in the hangar. “Arorua, Sirhc, you know I don’t like surprises,” Lehcar was blindfolded as her children escorted her in, “so if this is some kind of prank, I’ll make you regret the day you ever-” They pulled the blindfold off, the woman devoid of any voice. The DNK Moonbase she once called her domain was bright and colorful with Christmas joy.

“Merry Christmas, Mom.” Nerehc proclaimed, his voice as firm as his face. “Yes. THIS is what I am. A little demon that celebrates St. Nick and all that crap. I’m no Christian, but I happen to like what they do, I visit Church every now and then without your knowledge. I won the Nimbi over with friendship, not force, I just can’t get into the idea of chaos and mayhem, and if YOU can’t stomach that, just-”

“Can it, Nerehc, Arorua already told me 2 weeks ago. I was just wondering when you’d crack.” Lehcar explained.

“Grrrrr.” Nerehc gave Arorua the deathglare, to which she smirked.

“Look, Nerehc, I really don’t care. It’s not the life I would’ve chosen, but if it’s your forte, who’m I to judge. You’re my son, and… I love you. At least now I won’t have to worry about you slitting me in my sleep.”

“Uuuum… thanks, Mom.”

“But I will take no part in this. You can come down anytime, but I have a devil to worship.” So with that, Lehcar returned to the R.E.P.M.A.C.S..

“Wow. She took it well.” Hcaz said.

“Wait…” Nollid observed through his Falcon’s Eyes.

 _“WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!”_ And Lehcar won the prize for ‘Saddest Person on Christmas Day’. _“NEEEEREEEEEEHHHHHHC!”_

“Oh, Mother…” Arorua shook her head.

“Hehehe. And I thought I was sensitive.” Sirhc chuckled.

“Mmm…” Nollid’s heart became lighter at the sight, turning his Eyes’ vision down. …His heart sank at an unpleasant sight through Arorua’s clothes, quickly stashing his glasses. “Well, now that all that’s straightened, what say we party?”

“Yeah.” Nerehc said. “Can’t let the whole night go to waste.” He, Sipa, and Ibsej went to join the party.

Everyone began to exchange presents with one-another. Lorac was invited despite being a non-op, and Nosam gave her a mini ice-sculpture of himself and Lorac, dancing romantically. Akurah bought Ahcniea a new knife, Ahcom gave Asia new Super Squeak Sanitizer, Ynohtna gave Ibyf a smiley-face badge, Egroeg and AlyakAm bought each other voodoo dolls of themselves, and Sirhc gave Yddam some fish-fin gloves. In spite of all that’s happened tonight, things never felt more warm between them.

“For my Supreme Leader.” A child with a round head, orange hair, white shirt and shorts, and a creepy smile gave Nerehc a small wrapped box. “For all you’ve done for us.”

“Uhhhh… thanks… uhhh..” He looked at the box, was about to ask the kid’s name, but he was gone. Nerehc tore the wrapping off and picked out a silvery-white mask with white hair on its top – plastic like the mask, purple smiling lips, and slanted evil eyes. He turned it over and found a small parchment. The note read, _Meet me on Dnalevelc Beach, -5 Yraunaj, -7:00m.p.. :)_ Nerehc knew by that smile whom it was from.

“Hey, Arorua, can I talk to you about somethin’?” Nollid asked his leader.

“Okay, sure.”

Nollid led Arorua to a dark hallway, quiet from all the commotion. He faced the Sector Leader with a serious tone. “…I saw it on your foot. You’re with them.”

“W-w-with… who?” Arorua looked afraid.

“These are X-ray glasses, I saw through your boots. Listen… your brother’s having a bad enough night, we locked up over 20 operatives during this party. I’m not going to turn you in, but I’m going to stop you if you try anything. Just… think about what really matters to you.” He went to join the party without another word. Arorua faced down the dark, barren hallway thoughtfully. Her mother never made good choices… would she be any different?

 

**Wow, this chapter was… a lot darker than I was anticipating. Praise me for making a sad Christmas story. And yes, Ydnew and her friends are the Edolas counterparts from _Fairy Tail_ ; that was the ‘Negaverse’ of that series. Next time will occur a scene I think we all are familiar with. You still do not wanna miss it.**


	17. Meet Your Match Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nerehc Onu has an important meeting with Sanula Kinsei. Afterwards, Nerehc and Cheren plan for their operatives to meet their matches!

**One last little Christmas scene before we begin.**

****

**_

Chapter -4: Meet Your Match Day

_**

****

**Ydnew’s House**

“I have to admit, Ydnew, you sure made this Christmas dinner more lively.” Her father smiled. “Your body sustained lots of internal damage, but a little matterbending rearranging did wonders.”

Ydnew Llevram lay nearly dead on the floor, quivering. “Tha-a-a-a-a-a-anks, Da-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ad.”

“Let’s celebrate with tea!” Anac beamed, going to the kitchen.

“Snatch me some booze.” Ycul told her, not taking her feet off the table.

The Man With the Blue Eye went a few floors upstairs to his bedroom mirror, standing beside it sideways as his reflection morphed inverted colors. “I regret that things did not go the way I had hoped.” said Red Eye.

“It went fine for me. That’s all part of our balance, isn’t it?”

“Yes. You’re right. I must learn from my mistakes as well. My New Years Resolution will be never to use my magic for evil.”

“That won’t put an end to your philosophy, will it?”

“No. Well then… I must go. I shall see you in 3 months’ time, Sir Blue Eye.”

“If we’re going to be an alliance, I’d like to be on a first-name basis with you.”

“There is power in a name. And shouldn’t we already know each other’s?”

“Not all opposites have the same name.” Blue Eye blushed. “Come on, just this once.”

“All right. …Until the then, Sir Itaav.”

“The motion is carried, Lord Vaati.” The Positive rippled away, and Itaav walked out.

Now here’s the timeskip.

**Dnalevelc Beach; -5 Yraunaj -6:55m.p.**

Dnalevelc Beach… it was a mess. Fallen oil drums and trash everywhere… the shore polluted. This was the worst place for a meeting. Nerehc deeply questioned why he came earlier than the appointed time. He sincerely doubted his acquaintance would see him so-

“O HO ho ho!” Nerehc jumped with a start when the Happy Mask Man appeared behind him. “Why… you’ve met with a terrible fright, haven’t you?”

“…” Nerehc shook back to senses, “All right, whaddyou want? And it better be important, ‘cause this place is a dump.”

“…” The Mask Man grabbed his face and flashed white as he pulled off the mask that kept his true form concealed. “Oh, I find it absolUtely DelightfUl. Woh ho ho ho!” A gray-skinned being with shiny black hair, small orange horns up top, and a black shirt with a red ‘: )’.

_

Happy Mask Salesman  
SANULA KINSEI

_

The form took Nerehc by surprise, but the being’s grin was as shiny as before. “Who… are you?”

“I am SanUla Kinsei. AnD I have liveD in this worlD for nearly 6,000 years… That was after I left the Termina Dimension, and many other worlDs before. I kept myself existent Using my beaUtifUl masks, alongsiDe my gooD frienD, Zanifr.”

“Zanifr? You mean that…”

“Ahh, what a terrible fate I’ve broUght onto him.” Sanula frowned. “He bareD his own view… on what the worlD shoUlD be. AnD soUght to make it trUe. OUr frienDs orDereD me to stop him… so I sealeD him insiDe the very mask I CreateD for him!” He was on the verge of tears. “Then I took him with me… to Termina. Where I kept him Close to me… always.”

“‘What the world should be’? Whaddoes that _mean_? What world?”

“Why… the worlD yoU live toDay.” His grin returned as he stared at the heavens with watery eyes. The clouds cleared away all of a sudden, Unveiling the gorgeoUs stars. “It all happeneD before yoU or this Universe even existeD… where we liveD was beaUtifUl… a marveloUs paraDise… Alternia. It was the worlD Created by ArCeUs before even the Creation of the other goDs… we haD the most wonDerfUl lanDs… anD everyboDy haD at least one person to love them… I haD Zanifr, anD Zanifr me… it was all so peaCefUl… bUt we haD one fatal flaw… we were UnbalanCeD.”

“Unbalanced?”

“ArCeUs haD not CreateD the other goDs, even Time… so no one was there to keep the Universe in order, and oUr very existenCe woUlD Destroy itself… so ArCeUs CreateD a whole ‘nother Universe, bUt not before loCking away oUr Dimension forever. BUt… that was not all ArCeUs DiD. ArCeUs orDereD Us with the very Creation of this new worlD… every single Detail and Design was oUr making, bUt the goDs stole all of the CreDit from Us… no one woUlD ever know, what power lay beyonD.”

“Okay—quick question—what the fuck is with you capitalizing your D’s, U’s and stuff? It’s hurting my eyes.”

“It’s jUst the way I talk.” Sanula grinned. “They look like smiley faCes. :) All of my frienDs have their speCial qUirk.”

“Well, can you please stop it, from a certain view it’d be hard to read, too.”

“GetUseDtoit. Ever sinCe that Day, we’ve watCheD this Universe grow. While trillions of years have passeD in this worlD, to Us it’s only been weeks, or Days, DepenDing on when we DeCiDeD to Check. That very anomaly was CentereD aroUnD my powers. I enjoyeD every minUte of it… living in this Universe. WatChing it grow from the insiDe. I was jUst so saD that… I CoUlDn’t enjoy it with my moirail. XC Every thing that’s happeneD… the Demon Wars, the NatUre Wars, Nightmares… those were evil times that I watCheD for the joy of my moirail… bUt there were enjoyable times, too. The Dawn of benDers, foUnDing of the KND, the Climax of those wars that broUght so mUCh misery… bUt in Dark times or bright, I enjoyeD every bit. It was almost as beaUtifUl as oUr own worlD… so then why, sniff… why mUst that TERRIBLE power retUrn AGAIN?” D,X

“WHAT terrible power?” Nerehc demanded.

“The one that forCeD ArCeUs to seal oUr worlD to begin with.” His eyes were very wide, sad, and as fluent as liquid. “OUr Universe was horribly UnbalanCeD, with an extreme overflowing of energy that no goDs were aroUnD to Control. This was espeCially DeaDly in the Time Department. OUr timeline was so Unbearably Unstable, we were eaCh other’s father, granDfather, hUsbanD, 4th DesCenDant… if ArCeUs let any of that energy seep into the new Universe, the same UnbalanCe woUlD’ve happeneD… so he CreateD an extremely powerfUl loCk to Completely seal oUr Dimension, maDe of Time itself, anD CreateD Dialga to balanCe anD seal that loCk forever. That extreme abUnDanCe of energy leD to the DestrUCtion of oUr worlD, bUt ArCeUs Chose a ChoiCe few to Design a new one, that we were not alloweD to live in or Cross to.”

“But then—how did YOU enter it?”

“My frienDs DevelopeD an oDD speCies CalleD the Zoni. They were entities who CoUlD go beyonD the limits of time or spaCebenDing, anD transporteD between the very worlDs UnDer the goDs’ watChfUl eye. At times, they will allow people to Cross worlDs as well, anD that’s how me anD Zanifr ventUreD here. BUt toDay, I feel as thoUgh the goDs knew all along… beCaUse even they know what’s going to happen.”

“What? What’s going to happen?”

“20 years ago, ArCeUs was reviveD from his sCattereD state by the Negatar. He was a powerfUl boDy of energy, anD that energy has been growing stronger anD stronger as he lay inCapaCitateD. MixeD with all of the anger he has been aCCUmUlating, the fabriC of spaCe and time in this Universe has been DistorteD. BUt following his retUrn to the Light SiDe, he regaineD Control of himself anD his energy… bUt it haD alreaDy happeneD.”

“GRRRR!” Nerehc was getting sick of these drawn-out explanations.

“The seal on oUr First Dimension haD begun to weaken with that oUtbUrst of energy, anD thoUgh it is in a righteoUs state now, the CraCk that haD openeD was too large. All of the energy in oUr worlD seepeD into this one, anD very soon, the very same CataClysm will happen. This Universe anD its inhabitants will be DestroyeD.”

“…How…How do you know?” Nerehc asked with a new tone of nervousness.

“It was prophesizeD by one of oUr most exCellent Seers: Terezi Pyrope. It Came, as if oUt of nowhere… ‘The god that has been asleep for millions of years will awaken in a fiery wrath. As the scorching sun shines upon the Earth in Year 2032, the cosmic energy which lies in the moons will give way and destroy his creation in a cataclysmic finish. The lock that had delayed his creation will be undone and soon give birth to a brand new universe, but before that time comes, he will hide from the gods that destroyed him in the world where they would never look.’”

Nerehc took a moment to absorb the information. “Okay… so the same cataclysm is gonna destroy our universe in 2032 during… ‘summer’… but what’s this about moons?”

“Another astonishing story. YoU know yoUr Universe is one of two siDes of a single Coin, bUt another Universe lies in the very matter that Coin is maDe from: the Netherverse. Where a tremenDoUs abUnDanCe of SpaCe Chi grows Unstably, anD like Time, mUst be kept UnDer Control. That is the seConD pieCe of the loCk ArCeUs negleCteD to CheCk, bUt Time and SpaCe are as ConneCteD as Positives and Negatives, yoU see. The Core of that Realm Within Matter is an important pieCe of the loCk, anD any happenings to that pieCe is fatal. The Distortion of the Time LoCk has CauseD the SpaCe LoCk to grow faUlty too, anD soon that Unstable SpaCe Chi will unloCk to its fUllest potential. In any Universe, the moons have been the primary gateway to that Netherverse. In the Termina Dimension, Zanifr attempteD to speeD the moon’s timeline so that energy will Destabilize faster, and shoUlD he have suCCeeDeD, the CataClysm woUlD’ve Come early. The Giants there were meant to CorreCt suCh an anomaly… bUt they CoUlD never CorreCt the natUral thing.”

“And now it’s about to happen for real.” Nerehc configured. “The god – Arceus, awakes in a fiery wrath, and then he hides…he hides where ‘they’ would never look, that means he was in the Negaverse; from the other gods, because he was inside Gnaa, right?”

“YoU forget, ArCeUs partially existeD insiDe Aang.” Sanula grinned. “Therefore wasn’t entirely in the Negaverse.”

“But that has to be what it means. Unless it’s talking about some other god…”

“Mmm… propheCies are never really Clear. I never UnDerstooD Terezi most of the time… bUt she was a lovable person nonetheless.” CX

“Sigh, okay well… how do we survive it?”

“Only Certain people are Chosen to Design the New WorlD… bUt there is a way to open the Time Gate beforehanD and leaD as many people as yoU Can to safety. Seven Lights anD Thirteen Darknesses mUst be foUnD to serve as keys to open the Door.”

“And these Lights and Darknesses are found?…”

“Not in this worlD.” he told Nerehc regrettably. “It is a Duty that falls primarily to the Positives.”

“So even in the faCe of Ultimate DestrUCtion, we Don’t even play a part in—CRAP, now I’m doing it, too!!”

“I woUlDn’t say yoU play no part. C: If the Positives are involveD, yoU mUst be a part of it, too. All Negatives are ConneCteD to their Positives, as it is fate. YoU balanCe eaCh other as oUr moirails Do, anD only the two of yoU Can help eaCh other grow. YoUr frienDs will not take well to learning of the CataClysm… bUt shoUlD yoU tell them anything, let it be to seek their opposites. If the Negatives anD Positives learn to aCt as one… wonDerfUl things Can happen. Please…” His eyes were watery and loving again, “tell them.” And with no more else to say, Sanula sprouted large, mystical, glowing white angel wings from his back, flapping into the starry heavens. “‘CoUrse, they may have to fight their Positives, too.” he noted before flying out of sight.

“Hmmm…” That was a whole lot for Nerehc to take in. He would never be able to remember every detail. But the fact their world was ending was important, though. He guessed he’d have to break it to ‘em. “They sure aren’t gonna like it, though… ho well, better late than never.”

**All around the treehouses**

_“This is Supreme Leader Nerehc Onu with an important message to ALL listening DNK operatives. I have just been informed from a really odd acquaintance that the END is NEAR. The God of the Universe, Arceus created a world of unstable energy before this one, and now that energy is seeping into ours. It will cause our entire universe to be destroyed, and we have only the Positives to rely on to find some Seven Lights and 13 Darknesses and lead everyone to safety. I repeat, THE END IS NEAR. WE ARE GOING TO DIE **THIS** SUMMER. Thank you and good-bye.”_

“…No we won’t.” Ennael replied, not believing in Arceus.

“Well, that’s not good.” Ynohtna said.

“My end is always near!” Ylime commented.

“Finally.” Arorua remarked.

“Be soon, please.” AlyakAm said.

“Ahhhhh, that didn’t go too terribly.” Nerehc said with relief on Moonbase. “I wonder if Cheren knows, too. …I should probably tell him just in case.

**Uno Household**

The sun had gone behind the horizon an hour ago, but there was still plenty of action goin’ before bedtime. Cheren Uno, for example, was on his bed and playing against Panini in late-night _Mario Kart 4-D_. He wished his heart could beat as fast, could bear as much energy as it usually had whenever he played Panini. But he just wasn’t in the spirit, not even going rounds with his friend/rival boosted him, although he hoped it would. He came in 2nd place while Panini made 3rd; he was fairing well tonight, but that still didn’t give him energy. Oh well, maybe this will.

“GAAH!” His dresser mirror rippled like liquid, and out came Nerehc.

“Hey.” he greeted coolly.

“N…Nerehc?” Cheren clamped his DS shut.

“Wasn’t interrupting private time, was I?”

“At least I’m not in underwear. Whaddyou want, Nerehc?”

“Relax, I just wanna talk.” Nerehc had a seat on a chair and faced Cheren. “So, do you remember that… Creepy Mask Guy from Termina?”

“Uh-huh?”

“He just met with me, but he’s not actually a man, he’s some gray… _ogre_ thing.”

“You mean a troll.”

“Sorry, I only saw it on the info—hold on, how would you know?”

“I just got back from a meeting with Majora. Or should I say, Zanifr.”

“R-Really? Then he told you what’s gonna happen? This summer?”

 _This summer?_ “Y-Y…Yes.” Cheren’s face sunk.

“Then you told all your operatives?”

“Y—…Yes.” This was a lie.

“How’d they take it.”

“N-…Not well.”

“That makes sense. My operatives didn’t sound too amazed. I guess they shouldn’t be. ‘cording to Sanula-whoever, the Positives are the only ones have to worry about it. Seven Lights, Thirteen Darks.”

“A-Are we? To be honest, I kinda imagined the Seven Lights would be in our world, and the Darks would be in… yours.”

“Yeah yeah, but I imagine _Legend of the Thirteen Darknesses_ won’t become a thing. I don’t actually understand the whole thing myself, it’s pretty messed up.”

“What did the Mask Man tell you exactly?”

“Well, there’s apparently another universe inside our ‘moons’ or something, and because Arceus exploded 20 years ago, the crazy energy inside those moons will build up and destroy everything. The Space Gate is inside that universe, it’s connected to the Time Gate which Arceus made, but he doesn’t check the Space Gate, that’s why it’s… gonna pop. Apparently, it’s from a prophecy Sanula’s friend whipped up.”

“What was the prophecy?”

“Well, he said the god that was asleep for millions of years, who I ASSUME is Arceus, will wake up and destroy his creation, which he did 20 years ago, give birth to a whole new world, which was what happened when our parents stopped him, and. . . huh. .”

“Uhhhh?” inquired Cheren.

“Hold on, hold on.” Nerehc rubbed his head and paced in thought. “He said the god’s _been asleep_..” his voice fell in a second, then came back, “scorching sun in Year 2032 – which I assumed is summer—it was summer during the Firstborn Quest, wasn’t it? But not 2032, that’s THIS year! Man, I need to think this through again.”

“Well, hurry up, I’m getting a headache.”

“Grrrrr!” Nerehc pinched his forehead in his left hand. _“If only I could remember everything he said…”_ His right hand subconsciously gripped the Devil’s Sword in his sheath. …Then, his mind sparked. “Okay, okay! So, that energy that’s in the moons will destroy Arceus’s creation this year, and the lock that delayed his creation… hold on, hold on! If that means the Time or Space Locks, how did they delay his creation—no… they _did_ delay his creation, because he had to seal that other universe, which delayed him creating this one- wait… Cheren, before Lord Gnaa revived him, where WAS Arceus?”

“I-I always thought that… he was in the Jewels of Light and Darkness, wh-which were inside Aang and Gnaa.”

“But he wasn’t hiding from the GODS, was he? Because he was destroyed. …And Lord Gnaa wasn’t hiding from them either, because they locked him IN that mountain to BEGIN WITH! I… ugh, the other parts center around Arceus, but the Year 2032 thing and that part about hiding… i-it just messes up the whole thing.”

“Well, whaddyou think it means?”

“…I think it means… _it sounds like it’s saying it IS a different god. A god that’s… inside the Negaverse. And that god has something to do with this whole scenario…”_

Cheren really wishes he’d speak up. He never took Nerehc to be the contemplative type. Or smart.

“Sigh, I really don’t understand.” He concluded. “Just… if it comes to you guys, promise me you’ll take care of it, Cheren. …Actually, I think we can help.”

“You can?”

“Sanula told me that the two of us are stronger when we fight together, and the same is true with other Positives and Negatives. If you guys are as stumped as I am, maybe we could have our two groups meet. Our Negatives can bond with your Positives—get used to each other, and then we can fight together.”

“That… sounds like a good idea. Any special time you wanna do this?”

“I’ll work it out with my Negatives, you do with your Positives, gather a bunch of mirrors and have us cross worlds iiiiiinnn… 3 days? At least?”

“Sure… I’ll put the message out. Oh, and there is one thing; my KND is still a little traumatized over the whole thing – DOZENS of Moonbase complaints – they might calm down by then, but just in case, can you tell your operatives not to… talk about it? Just go on like normal?”

“Sure. My guys don’t even care about it much. So I’ll… see you later?”

“Yeah. Good night.” With that, Nerehc climbed into the mirror and disappeared. Cheren opened his DS and returned to his game. No matter how much he tried, he still couldn’t get back into _Mario Kart_.

**Dnaleci; Gnik Household**

An average dull, night/day at Egroeg and AlyakAm’s house. A nice day for sitting around and doing nothing. Their doorbell rang, and after a quick Glue, Water, Computer game, AlyakAm lost and had to go answer. Behind their door was a skinny, blue robot with a green dome head. “Um… hello, Dearie. I’m a friend of your father’s, is he home?”

“I shall only divulge that information when I have earned 5 hours of Super Robot Fighting.”

“GRAAH!” The robot furiously smacked her aside. “The hell you will. _That was the worst Christmas ever. . .”_ He bypassed Egroeg on the couch – fighting the strange urge to strangle either child, and entered the basement.

“Fatheeeerr, a robot toy has come to visit you.” AlyakAm called down the basement.

It was pitch-black down below. The five men who gathered could barely see each other… especially the shadowed man in the chair far back. 

**3 days later; KND Moonbase**

_“Attention, all Kids Next Door treehouses.”_ Cheren’s voice sounded in all bases. _“As was announced days before, today is the first official Meet Your Match Day. Those of you who signed up, officials will be arriving at your treehouses with specially picked mirrors, each of which’s parallel is being given to your respective Negatives. When both mirrors are delivered, either you or your Negatives will be able to cross to each other’s world. Please note that while you may have signed, the Negatives may have thought otherwise and chose not to meet you. We will not disallow any fighting, as it is part of the natural process apparently, just promise not to kill each other. Thank you and enjoy your day with your natural opposite. …P.S., if the Negatives happen to mention anything out-of-the-ordinary, please disregard it. Thanks.”_ He said this part quickly.

Starting on Moonbase. The parallels of Panini, Francis, Marcus, Zach, Maddy, and Larry emerged out of mirrors. “Sicnarf.” Francis spoke professionally, going to shake his reflection’s hand.

“Francis.” Sicnarf returned the formality. “Shall we adjourn elsewhere and leave our comrades to interact?”

“You bet.” So with that, all parallels left to separate areas, while Panini and Ininap remained behind.

“He practiced all day sayin’ his name backwards for this meeting.” Panini snickered at her. “Just sayin’.”

“Heeheeheehee. Silly.” Inap smiled with deep embarrassment.

“So can I peg you as the type that’s spineless, wimpy, tends to be kindhearted, but would never last a half-second in Pinky War?”

“H-H-H-H-H-How did you know?” she shuddered quickly.

“Just a guess.”

Just as well, Maddy and Yddam went to have lunch in the cafeteria; Maddy a meatball sandwich and Yddam a carrotdog. “So uh, whaddyou like?”

“Does your world have metahumans?”

“Um… yeah?”

“Oh, I LOVE metahumans!” proclaimed Yddam brightly. “They have the coolest powers and they can do anything and I would’ve given ANYthing to be one!”

“Mmmmm hm.” Maddy munched her sandwich half-heartedly.

“But a long story short, it’s when you get to be in one’s shoes for a day that you think otherwise, and you’re more happy with yourself. But I still love them, I wanna study how the whole thing works one day! Same goes for element benders, it’s like every day, people are discovering new ways to use their powers! I heard of this one earthbender who..”

Really, it wasn’t a story Maddy would take care in, but contained her rudeness not to interrupt. To be fair, Maddy used to have exact opposite thoughts, until recently she formed a close bond with a certain metahuman and began to bypass these thoughts. But hearing people talk about them brightly still annoyed her—then again, she might feel the same if someone spoke crudely of them. It was probably a natural way of thinking when drastically changing opinions, but truth be told, she hoped Yddam would stop soon. _Just 7 more hours until I win my bet with Zach._

Meanwhile, in the arcade room: “My usual hobbies include studying, homework, calculating strategies for my team, memorizing enemy patterns and movements, I watch a few educational programs every now and then, treat myself to a cartoon once in a while, but only if it isn’t stupid, I also..” Hcaz just went on and on.

 _7 more hours until you win the bet, Zach, you can make it._ Zach thought, desperate emotions building inside.

**Sector V**

“You know, I think I saw you in the car when you guys came to get Nerehc.” Chris said to Sirhc in his room. “So, nice to finally meet you. You got any powers?”

“Um, no. The idea of being able to magically control things is just scary.”

“I see. Well, I’m a Fire-type. So don’t put any flammables near me.”

“O-OK. You have a nice headband.”

“Thanks. I’m a firebender, so I need something to absorb the sweat, yeah. Plus I’m hiding a rather embarrassing birthmark, between you and me.”

“Y-Yeah…”

“Nice to see you again, Akurah!” Haruka beamed, in her room with her match. “Didja learn any new poisonbending?”

“Little. You?”

“Oh, I have LOTS to tell. Uhh, but maybe not. How have things been for you?”

“We celebrated Christmas and I didn’t enjoy it.”

“Oh, that’s cool.”

In Dillon’s room: “Kah ha ha ha! So your mom is Ms. Wickens’ Negative, and MY mom is Danika!” the boy laughed. “Guess that’s how the Reverse World works!”

“Uh-huh. So what’s your dad like?”

“He is the BEST! When he was an operative, he saved the whole KND from a ton of supervillains and destroyed an evil Sith Lord, NOW he’s a superhero! Oh, I could write a whole book about him, and 2 more that take place in alternate universes!”

“Yeeeeah. I’ve always wanted to Avada Kedavra mine in the face.”

“Oh. You don’t get along very well?”

“No. But now I guess I can’t Kedavra him knowing it’ll kill your dad.”

“Well, thanks for that, I guess. I wonder how-”

“UuuuuuOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAA.” In the corner, Vanellope Schweetz moaned loudly.

“Who’s this?” Nollid asked.

“Vanellope, a Program girl from Cyberspace. I found and downloaded her a few months ago.”

“Why couldn’t MY Negative visit?” she whined.

“I’m not exactly certain robots or programs HAVE opposites.” Nollid replied. “Well, maybe not ALL of them. I think it has to do whether or not you have a soul—but if they DIE together, I’m not sure, ‘cause programming can exist internally.”

“I wanna see my Negative NOOOW.” Vanellope glitched, jumping furiously. “NOW NOW NOOOW. Uuuugh.”

In the living room, Mason and Nosam were on the couch. “Have you ever been in loooove?” asked the Negative with a dreamy smile.

“Uhhh… yeah, kind of.”

“Did you ever wish to be glued to your loved one forever?”

“That… would create trouble going to the bathroom. …You ever been shrunken?”

“Yes. It was marvelous. I shall never forget the scent of Lorac’s soles.”

“Great. I’ll never forget the scent of Sheila’s dad’s urine. Say, did her Negative visit?”

**Downtown Cleveland**

“WOOHOOOOOOO!” Indeed, Sheila and Aliehs were sharing a mop-bucket, speeding along the middle of the road. Naturally, their expressions for this moment were exact opposite. “Ohhhh MAN! I dunno why I ain’t think of this before! COMIN’ THROOOOOUUUGH!”

 _NEEEEEEE-RRR._ Cleveland never faced this many car wrecks since Stickybeard.

**Sector W**

“Hello! I’m Ynohtna EiznekCm, and I’m your Negative!” the smiling bucktooth greeted brightly. “Would you like to be friends?”

“Hmmm…” The first thing Anthony noticed was the shoes. “Like playing in the mud?”

“No way! Too germy!”

“Theeeen no.”

In the living room: “So I guess you babies eat stuff like CANDY, huh?” asked Yllas Reprah.

“Well, yes… b-but we can still be friends!” Sally beamed.

“Yeah! You like yo-yos?” Harvey asked.

“About the most boring things ever.” Yevrah replied. “ _Tops_ are all the rage now.” They pulled out the pointed spinning devices and let them whirl around on the floor.

“Oh… those are cool.”

“Well, they kick yo-yos’ ass.”

“…‘scuse me?”

“Yevrah’s right.” agreed Yllas. “Tops are strong and sturdy, but if those skimpy strings get cut, I can’t imagine your yo-yos have any more use.”

Sally and Harvey exchanged glances, before shooting deadly glares at their opposites. Already, they weren’t liking them.

And outside: “Ah HAAAAaaaaah!” Fybi was happily flying circles above the treehouse. “Thine tongue be bewitched to find no joy in yon leisure time!”

Ibyf Thgirbluf stared at her from the roof with mixed pity. “I can’t imagine how much your grades are slumping.”

“Aye, but what profession shall I seek, than piloting the most luxurious of airplanes? Shouldst I seek a profession at all. Mine spirit shall be free for all days. Dost thou find no joy in yonder thrill?”

“Do all the flying and Shakespearean you want, but if you have poor education, you have poor-”

As fast as wind, Fybi was in front of Ibyf, with eyes so terrifying even Ibyf wouldn’t do a Scare Stare. “Thou shalt come flying with me. And thou shalt find much pleasure.”

“…Gulp!”

**Sector IC**

“SPLECK! You have Sunshine Atilol dolls??” exclaimed Lola Stork with disgust.

“Like, you play with _Gothic_ Lolita dolls?” said Alol Krots quizzically. “You are definitely my Positive.”

“THIS goes BEYOND parallels!!” the former screamed, shaking her dark little doll.

Outside, Miyuki Crystal was with Ikuyim. “Soooo you’re an earthbender?”

“Crystalbender! Hehe, isn’t that silly! My name is Crystal backwards, but I’M the earthbender, not you! Though I guess our words are only mirrored to yours, so by that logic, my name is actually Miyuki, I guess the opposite thing’s just to lessen confusion. But wow, a timebender, that’s a really rare power! You can get a senior discount on movies!” Ikuyim spoke brightly.

“Yeah… so, um, whaddyou wanna do?”

“That mountain looks fun! Let’s go climb it!” Ikuyim happily skipped toward the fields before the Oil Ice Mountain.

Miyuki followed reluctantly. “Hope it’ll be as fun as Christmas…”

In the treehouse, George, MaKayla, and Terry sat miserable. _“Our Negatives didn’t come.”_ they chorused.

**Sector W7**

“I FLEW!!” Aisa exclaimed with the brightest eyes. “I finally flew! Can you beLIEVE it, Asia?? After all these years, my wings finally worked!”

“That’s terrific, Aisa!” Asia beamed, hovering a few feet in the air. “Let me see!”

“Uhhh… actually, it only works at certain times.” Aisa blushed, scratching her head. “But just that one time, _wow_! And I got these!” She held up her Jet Dials.

“Whaddo those do?”

“Fly! Watch.” Aisa slipped the Dials on her feet and began zooming around the room leaving a trail of cloud.

“Isn’t that bad for the atmosphere?”

“Only when planes do it.”

In Aeincha’s room, the Lilliputian girl and her Negative sat on the floor, staring like mirrors. “I’m glad I could finally meet you!” Aeincha beamed.

“I regret so. You look like a boy.”

“Ehhhh.” Aeincha sweatdropped. “Well, you sure have a lot of hair. If you want, I could trim it down.”

“I’ll consent to it. As long as I can examine your face and see if it matches mine for a transplant.”

“Uuuuuuuhhhh-”

“You’re right, you’re right. I wanna see if we have the same nervous points, too.”

Apis’s room:

This was undoubtedly, irrefutably, the most awkward silence of all time. No sounds at all. Just the ticks of Apis’s clock. Both parallels sat on her bed, just facing the (4th) wall, blank stares as they couldn’t bear to stare at the other with nothing to say. The only thing besides their clothing which distinguished them from mirrors were their subtle movements, the swinging of their feet, rolling of their eyes, and twiddling their fingers. Apis put her right hand on the bed and tapped her fingers; a new sound added to the mix. The lack of conversation in this Christian-heavy room was unsettling. “The other day I bewitched a priest into thinking he’s gay.” Sipa spoke. Apis got up and walked out of the room as casual as if she were going to the bathroom.

**Sector DR**

Doflamingo Jr.’s Negative was a royal dork wearing a pigeon coat and drinking twisty-straw smoothie, Sweetie-1’s parallel was a diehard pacifist who wanted nothing to do with war or weaponry, and Bison’s opposite was handsome and trim. “…WE DON’T LIKE ‘EM.” All three Positives shoved their reflections back into the mirrors, shattering them to pieces.

**Sector L**

Melody and Ydolem sat in the dark, the only light from the TV as _Ruby Gloom_ played. As Ydolem enjoyed this show’s parallel, she thought she’d try the opposite. …It was just as good as it was otherwise. Her blank white eyes stared at the TV, her smiling warmhearted visage unchanging, while Melody passed various impatient glances to her. “. . . . WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THIIIIIIS?” Melody tore some hair off.

“It’s punishment for all the secrets about people you might’ve unveiled, you stuck-up bitch.” Ydolem didn’t shift from her smiling, gentle, inviting tone at all.

**Uno Household**

“You know, I think this whole Positive/Negative meeting day was a great idea!” Aurora beamed, sitting with Arorua on the couch. “You and I didn’t get much one-on-one time back in September, and our brothers hang out all the time! It’s only fair we should be friends, too.”

“My brother developed a sudden sissiness, he’s disappointed my mom worse than ever. I can honestly care less for opposite girl bonding.”

“Well, we’re together, so we should try to find an activity we like. Traditional girl thing. Like…Like nail painting! Let’s get those boots off and bring out the—”

“NO.” Arorua yelled defensively. “I…I have turf-toe.”

“Wow, I didn’t take you for the exercising type. Well, let’s go to the spa, that’ll help.”

“I’m not taking off my boots, okay?”

“Sheesh, fashion victim? Those things look a bit too heavy for me.”

“Well maybe that’s why I’m the opposite.”

“Okay, okay. Well, let’s talk about life, how’s it treating you?” Aurora laid her legs on the couch toward Arorua.

“Terrible.” She looked away.

“Care to expand?”

“I’m, I’m just going through a lot of… stuff… okay?”

“What kind of stuff?”

“None of your business.”

“Oooookay then. Look, Ror, if you didn’t wanna do anything, you shouldn’t’ve come here to begin with.”

“I only came to make Nerehc happy, wanting to make ‘change’ for the DNK, he’s become so much a sissy that he thinks we’re all going to die soon.”

“Odd way of thinking, but I still think this is a great idea they came up with. Almost like getting to know ourselves. If nothing else, tell me what missions you go on.”

“A kid stole some vegetables a few weeks ago. We stopped him. In Rebmevon, we beat up a teenager stealing cable. And I think a giant turtle showed up.”

“Yay, you watch _Korra_.”

“It’s called _Arrok_ in our universe.”

“Ohmygod, that sounds so awesome.”

“Yeah, to be honest, her development was excellent compared to Gnaa’s, but she really slumped in the later seasons. Animation’s not so great.”

“I can understand that. Hawww, look at us bonding. See, we have a good time, right?”

“Don’t get your hopes up.”

**Moonbase; Decommissioners’ Quarters**

“Aaaand… this is my office.” Francis concluded, showing Sicnarf the various office desks and terminals. “Where we look at operatives’ birthdays and information and… calculate where to catch them when time comes. Do you guys even have decommissioning?”

“Of course not. The DNK’s always found it wasteful, even for the weakest of troops. Ancient DNK operatives came to this world to conduct studies, and looking at their reports, we never understood the point. You have so many strong and talented agents, but you just flush them away.”

Francis wasn’t quite sure how to respond. “Well, it’s just… a KND tradition. I mean, we keep the most trusted operatives as TND, and you should see how many parents remember their days. But by your logic, you should have plenty of teens and adults in your direct organization.”

“Our teens and adults do remain loyal, but they know they can’t last forever, so they have kids to fill their shoes. The story isn’t the same for all of them… some like -2030 do abandon loyalty, find other interests, but their kids still carry on. That’s what our history’s always been.”

“Then decommissioning _isn’t_ a total waste.”

“To be fair, I think your organization would’ve done better without it. Isn’t it true that you’re all so well-informed of what happened 20 years ago that you’ve been able to solve many a crisis and challenge with that knowledge?”

“I, uh… guess it does.”

“So why linger so much on what KND used to be?”

“How- How would you know what I linger on?”

“You’re my opposite, so I predicted your personality based on my own. My father taught me to get accustomed to change, and the DNK he grew up with may be different for me. I assumed you were learned the opposite.”

“Isn’t that called being judgmental?”

“I call it being analytical. And I don’t call them opposites.”

“Fine, to be fair, I read all about the KND my dad used to work for and all it was about before them, and, it was all stuff I got really eager to be a part of. But then I got to the recent stories where benders started sprouting up, then a bunch of other crazy stuff—I’m not saying I’m ignorant or anything—it’s just; we’re letting teenagers stay in the KND directly, we have no more use for a lot of our former bender-replaced tools, things are just so…so… i-it’s like all that KND history I’ve been brushing up on doesn’t apply anymore.”

“I’m certain every new KND generation read the former’s history and were surprised by a dramatic change.” Sicnarf replied. “Or maybe not, otherwise your predecessors wouldn’t have questioned Numbuh 0’s existence. As an organization grows, in time they must realize what they must improve on, and what they must leave behind. If a psychicbender can track villain activity better than an ‘Evil Detector’, the former which will not waste operative resources giving a false alarm over a bully pushing a kid for candy, while a mad scientist is conducting life-threatening experiments on kids, so be it.”

“In my defense, that kinda thing happened recently, none found out beforehand.”

“Regardless. And because your parents could keep their memories, you’ve all become so much knowledgeable and skilled in such a short time. The KND is evolving, Francis, that’s all there is to it. Same as my DNK. In our world, hatred defined the values between sectors and DNKs, but I feel like that is changing. We’ve formed an alliance with the Nimbi DNK, and I hope others will follow the example. I’m certain you agree that these changes will play a vital importance one day. Don’t yooouu?”

Francis got the odd feeling Sicnarf expected him to know something he did. …Francis had no idea, but he didn’t wanna look like an idiot in front of this guy any further. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“To be honest, I can’t much see use for a Decommissioning Squad; why would there still be treacherous teenagers knowing how many people keep their memories?”

“It’s just like your guys, they have their own reasons for betraying. Our best shot at safety is keeping the decoms going.”

“Perhaps so. But it can destroy as much as you’re saving.”

“I guess so… Well, it was great meeting you, anyway. Wanna check on the cousins?”

“Sure.”

So with that, the twins stepped outside, just when Marcus and Sucram were walking by. “Hey, so whaddyou guys-”

“SAME CONVERSATION, BUT REVERSE.” Both chorused, passing them by.

“…We were gonna give Sucram his own chapter, but never got around.” Sicnarf mentioned. “He’s same as you.”

“Oh, that makes sense.”

**Viewing Platform**

Cheren and Nerehc were having Meeting Day, too. Lying on inflatable pool-chairs on a private platform, facing a glass window with a marvelous view of the great blue planet. Cheren had sunglasses to better mirror him, both sipping juices. “Our worlds collide.” Cheren said.

“What a world.” followed his opposite.

“To think you harassed all of us last September. It’s wild how things change so quickly. You think they’re all getting along?”

“I don’t think they ever fully do. But this whole thing is supposed to help both of us. Remember when Aang and Negatar Gnaa fused together to fight Arceus?”

“Oh yeah, that part was weird.”

“Well, apparently other opposites can do that. But it’s a pretty dangerous thing, it’s safer to have both sides working together.”

“You think we should try doing that?”

“Hell no, I ain’t inserting myself in you. That reminds me, I told you what Sanula told me, but is there anything Zanifr mighta told you I didn’t hear?”

“Uuuumm… well, he said the people who survive is based on a Will of Sixes, people who have six letters in their name. Like us. The Fierce Deity Mask I used contains the spirit of Link’s Negative. Did Sanula talk about Zoni or the Giants?”

“Yeah, he mentioned those. And then he turned into an angel and went to Heaven.”

“He did?”

“’t’s what it looked like. Where’s Zanifr?”

“I just left him. I really have mixed feelings about him, to be honest.”

They sat quietly for minutes and stared at the rotating Earth. Its endless seas, Oceana underneath, blank white clouds, Skypia on top, and all of its vast continents… looked so small, and gorgeous surrounded by these billions of stars. “Your world looks really pretty up here, Cheren.”

“Best view of the day.”

“We don’t get such a view. It’s all smog and darkness… always looks so dead.”

“Do you really think… it’s all going to happen?”

“It came from two creepy gray guys with uncomfortable personalities, so yeah.”

“I really hate to see all of it go. Everything we’ve come to know and love… I don’t know if I can stop it.”

“You probably can’t. That’s why you got me.” Nerehc smirked. “To bail you out of crazy situations.”

“Heh heh heh heh. …Well, the day’s almost up. ‘Course we promised the other Time Zones some one-on-one time. This was fun, though. You think we should get them together again?”

“We’ll put it to a vote, but the majority will be no. …But that way, it’ll be a tie, so maybe we will. Eventually.”

“Ahhh,” Cheren stood and stretched, “well, let’s make the announcement soon. Wonder how many learned something today.”

**Uno House**

In time, Aurora and Arorua treated their selves to a game of Nintendo’s worst-seller, _Cooking Mama_. Despite the title character looking totally *** up, the game featured recipes from the _Paper Mario_ series, so it was cool to try ‘em all out. “At least we ended up doing something together.” Aurora said. “I really think we can be good friends, Aror. Even if you don’t agree.”

“…. Yeeeeaaah.” As gloomy as ever, Aror was. “…Hey, um… how _do_ you feel about Cheren?”

“What? He’s my brother. He’s a great leader and he always protects us and I love him. You don’t feel the same about your brother?”

“Well… before the whole alliance thing, he always acted nonchalant. Which was just how his mother raised him to be.”

“Don’t you mean _your_ mother?”

“I-… Mom never pays attention to us much, only Nerehc. He’s the typical spoiled child, only seized the office by stealing it. I…I never thought he would change DNK at all.”

“That’s why you need to have faith. Cheren always doubted himself, but look at how much he’s accomplished. He saved the world twice now; I’ll bet he can do it again.”

Arorua said nothing. On Nerehc’s orders, she chose not to mention the Apocalypse, but it didn’t look like Aurora was afraid at all. Her faith in her brother was strange. What made her her opposite. Aurora would never think of…

“You should have that faith in Nerehc.” Aurora smiled. “He surprised you once, he’ll surprise you again.”

“…Yeah…”

“Say something new, why don’t ya.”

Aurora’s wristwatch rang, the girl viewing it as Cheren called. _“This is a message to all Kids Next Door operatives. Meet Your Match Day officially ends in 10 minutes. You may return to your normal worlds soon, unless you desire a few extra minutes. You may keep the mirrors at your treehouses should you desire any further one-on-one time. This’s been Numbuh 3621, I hope you enjoyed meeting your matches.”_ Switched off.

“I kind of did.” said Aurora. “But I guess you’ll be returning home. …I hope I see you again, Ror.”

Arorua closed her DS. “…Yeah… you too, Ror.”

The Negative went to the living room and climbed through its mirror, Aurora watching as her matching reflection appeared. Aurora smiled and waved happily at herself, and she could’ve sworn her reflection frowned glumly.

**Moonbase**

“Well, I hope we all had a fun day meeting our Negatives.” Cheren said to his many followers via the sector-connected terminals. “How was it?”

_“HATED IT.”_

_“LOVED ‘EM!”_

_“IT WAS OKAY.”_ It’s like they were three separate armies.

“Heh heh heh. Perhaps we’ll schedule another meeting. …‘Soon as the other Time Zones get theirs. Those of you on the other side of the world, get ready to meet your matches, and don’t kill each other. Those on the former side, have a good night.” He ended transmission.

“Well, I didn’t learn anything from her, but Ay sure hope she learned from me.” Panini said confidently. “What made you two decide to do this again?”

“Um… just came up. Anyway, now we gotta plan for graduation next month. Marcus said the cadets looked really eager this year. Heh, there’s that giant girl for one, and some girl called ‘Candy’ or somethin’, says they’re looking pretty good. Siiigh, Lord only knows what this year has in store.” As he turned to go to his office, Panini followed him suspiciously.

“Cheren, you…’ve been acting a wee bit strange lately. Is something going on?”

“…No, Panini… nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Coming from the KND’s hero… okay.” So she returned to her post. Cheren returned to his office to fill out the last of his paperwork. If Nerehc could be so trustworthy, telling his operatives and Cheren himself… was he really the very opposite leader?

**In the Netherverse**

There were many universes that connected as one. One of them existed in the very matter. Endless space and unique shapes it created that bore hardness like rocks… the opposite side of matter, and its creatures thriving in endless purple.

The essence of matter, that which was not brimming with spiritual energy, like souls or chi which existed with forms of matter, made it an excellent blind spot under the gods’ eye. And very deep, deep in the darkest depths of this cosmos, a being slept. Slept and listened only to the sounds such a serene, concealed dimension could bring. This being opened his gorgeous eyes, one yellow one black, and stared up into the wavy heavens.

_“When the Day of Apocalypse dawns… Twenty Keys will open the gate to the New World: Seven Lights and Thirteen Darknesses. Then, the Goddesses of Light and Darkness will battle to decide if that world is centered around their ideals. Quite possibly… the richest lie the gods ever thought up for themselves. Don’t you agree? English…”_

 

**So’d you ever wonder what happened in the gap between _CLOWN_ and _NECSUS_? That’s one of the things. Sooooo Negative meetings off the wazoo. Gotta get them used to each other, aye? Because it won’t be long now. I’ll see you as we near the story’s conclusion.**


	18. Goddess of the Negaverse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sipa and Nerehc find a mysterious tree deep underground.

**Blimey, I can’t wait to get back to the real story.**

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Chapter -3: Goddess of the Negaverse

_**

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**Somewhere in Eporue**

Beewv and his army of Naineetak landed on Earth way back in Rebmevon, and as the month of Hcram neared, they were still searching. They found nothing in Aisa, nothing in Acirfa that looked suspicious, the Hsinim they encountered certainly were no help. After months of tireless searching, here they were wandering a barren plain in Eporue. “AaaaaAAAAAAUUUUUUHHHH!!! Where IS IIIIIIIIIT?” Beewv couldn’t be more enraged.

“I’m starting to think Aluben sent us on a duck hunt.” Naineetak leader, Namsknim said.

“WOW, I don’t think ANYone’s had THAT theory, yet!” proclaimed the white-skinned Neetak. “Grrrrr, if I could have just a SLICE of her!”

“I wouldn’t mind if she decided to punish us by feeding us to the Nairuomolg.” Namsknim spoke dreamily. “Ho-o-o-o-o-o-o, to be crushed and grinded by Beautiful Anaizail.” His yellow face flushed red.

“Urgh. If you wanna go back and beg her for a thrill, be my guest.” Beewv told him annoyed. “I just wanna GET OFF THIS PLANET. Ohhh, if one more Hsinim gives me the ‘down-your-rear’ taunt again, I’M GONNA SKIN A FUR COAT OUTTA THEM, I’M GONNA-” Flailing his sword ragingly, a random Naineetak fell through the ground. _“Aaaa aaahhh!”_

Surprised and curious, the aliens approached the hole, peering into the darkness. Beewv stuck his sword into the side and hung down, taking out a pair of Nightvision goggles to see. His mouth dropped. “Whoooa…”

**EiznekCm Household**

Two months passed since Meet Your Match Day. Nerehc and Cheren hadn’t got around to rescheduling another one yet, mainly since the latter’s schedule was much too packed. For Nerehc, it felt quite the opposite. There was so little activity, the DNKG hadn’t made a single move since the Christmas party. The traitors were still imprisoned, Nerehc was afraid to jinx it all by saying the Dictator gave up. This time of boredom was actually peaceful for their DNK. Even sectormates, regardless of issues, were starting to interact better. As Nerehc got up from bed, yawning awake, he wondered what the day would bring next.

 _Bonk bonk bonk._ Nerehc looked at his window, feeling something banged on it. He cracked it open and viewed the neighborhood, hoping to whoever-may-listen he wasn’t about to be struck by another dimensional beam. “Hello!”

“AAAAAHH!” Nerehc tumbled out of bed onto his rear. Being in only underwear wasn’t how he wanted to present himself in front of Nimbi Leader, Ibsej. “S-S-S-Supreme Leader Numbuh -27 B.C.-”

“My name is Ibsej, come on I learned your name.” She hovered right-side-up outside the window, watching as Nerehc yanked his blanket down to shield himself. “Plus, you already ruined the formalities by wearing improper clothing.”

“I DIDN’T SCHEDULE A HOME MEETING WITH YOU.” he outbursted.

“Hm hm hm hm! No, but I figured you wouldn’t mind if I did.” She smirked.

“… . . Hmmph.” He suppressed a smirk. “A little out-of-character for a leader.”

“True. I would never think two people in professional fields would meet on such casual terms. Friendship shouldn’t exist between us.”

“Our organizations were doomed from the start.” he replied casually. “But since you devoted this time, what can the Demon Prince do for you.”

“I wanted to… say thanks for both of our teams. We searched all of our operatives, not one of them were agents. Yet still… I could’ve been, though. I can’t imagine how different things would be if you didn’t come.”

“I’d have to poison all of your people.”

“I know. To be honest… I was only scared for my own life. I had hundreds of Nimbi to defend me, but when they were beaten, I was at a loss. I would’ve joined up with Aluben to protect myself… then I thought you would protect me if I chose to join you. I confess myself as an inferior leader…”

“Don’t say that about yourself. You wanted to have a hold on your own organization long enough for some devil child to tear through your troops and ask to be friends. I may not be a good leader either, but… I know that thinking about your followers should come first.”

“Yes. You showed that yourself. You are… the greatest leader I know, Nerehc.”

He kept his smirk. “I know I am, I’m no Sissy Cherry.”

Ibsej blushed. “I…I also… Oh, never mind.” Normal color. “I need to get back to my treehouse. See you soon… when you have clothes.” With one last wave, Ibsej returned to the sky. Nerehc got up and watched as she vanished through a hole in the clouds, one of hundreds now existent in the brighter, less-cloudy sky.

Nerehc fixed his clothes on, including sunglasses, and headed downstairs. “Hey, Bro!” The second surprise this morning: Arorua stood in the kitchen doorway with a smile Nerehc would expect from her Positive. “I made toast. Want some?” She held out the darkened bread.

Nerehc took the toast with the utmost suspicion. …He tossed it in the living room, blasted a flame, and extinguished it in seconds. “YAAAAH!” Yllaw screamed, cowering under his newspaper on the couch.

“Bro, what was that for??” the sister protested.

“ _You_ make me breakfast? Whaddyou take me for, Arorua. A fool?”

“Yes. I mean… Can’t I do a few good deeds, too? Or are _you_ the only one.”

“It’s a little OOC for you, that’s all I’m saying. The only time I’ve seen you smile, it was when I was in trouble.”

“Well, maybe I wanna change. Or do you not believe in that??”

“Your change was more outta the blue than mine.”

“Oh, big deal. Look, Nerehc… after giving a few months’ thought, I was being kind of sour to you. And Aurora’s been teaching me… maybe I should try to know my brother more. I clearly didn’t before.”

“I… appreciate that?”

“COME on, Stupid, let’s just hang out already!” Arorua grabbed her brother’s hand and dragged him outside.

“W-Wait! I still want TOOOAAAAST!”

**DNKG H.Q.**

The medical wing doors opened as Atnort stepped out on metal crutches. His body was bandaged under his clothing as he approached his older sister, whose back was turned, but got the general gist. “Now you get how I feel.” she told him.

“Annaira, if I wanted you to feel this much pain, trust me I would. This isn’t anything compared to what Aluben coulda done.”

“No. Aluben is showing you mercy. She hasn’t come out of her throne since Rebmeced. It’s like she’s completely abandoned getting Earth under her control.”

“That’s not true.” Avakam approached them. “You noticed that Beewv hasn’t come back yet.”

“I thought that was kind of on purpose.” Atnort replied.

“She still believes in that Tree of Ending and, according to Beewv’s newest report….”

“…No…way…”

“Aluben has been recharging for this very moment. All she really needs now is Nerehc.”

“Whom will suddenly have a change in heart?” inquired Anna.

“Oh, his change in heart already occurred. According to Her Rulership. Now she’s waiting on her spy to put the final nail on things.”

“Aren’t all of her spies in prison?” asked Atnort.

“They missed one, she says. And this one… was the most convenient.”

**Dnalevelc; Onion River**

The river had become so much cleaner these past few months. With the sun poking through numerous holes in the foggy sky, it contributed to the water’s purity with sparkling ripples. “Onions for dinner?” asked Nerehc slyly as they trudged through its shallowness.

“Be my guest.” Arorua remarked with a suppressed smile.

“Remember that story when Mr. Nagillig came here? He said he fell in the river and winded up on this Indian land, where all of his friends had like Indian personas and were all gung-ho over onions.”

“Please. I would’ve believed this river was a portal to some cowboy village than that.”

“These onions gotta come from somewhere, right? Gotta bring out the paranormal specialists. Like Mr. Enarbmem’s father.”

“Kh-yes, give the whackadoodle his screentime.”

“Heh heh heh heh heh!” Both chuckled.

A few yards ahead, they saw a raggedy-clothed blonde girl embracing the river’s purity by soaking her feet in it. Lorac Nosretsam hummed a merry tune to herself and appeared lost in daydreams. “Hey, Lorac!” She came back to the real world and saw them coming.

“Oh, hello, Nerehc! Rora!” she greeted brightly.

“Actually, Rora is my Positive’s name, I’m Aror.” she corrected.

“Isn’t the water so much prettier now? I feel like I’m finally making a difference!”

“You aren’t the only one.” Nerehc affirmed. “The Dictator’s scared shitless. Hasn’t shown her ugly mug since Christmas. I bet all her armies are thinkin’ of quittin’.”

“Don’t let your guard down _too_ quickly.” Arorua said worriedly. “She’s not the one to give up without a fight… I would think.”

“Yeah yeah, I won’t. Which reminds me, Lorac, you should join the Daring New Kids.”

“DARING NEW KIDS???” Both of them were stunned.

“What? You didn’t think we were still ‘Destructively Nefarious’ Kids, didja? Aside from being a lot less tongue-twister, that acronym sounds more _right_ to me. I mean, don’t you agree?”

“I… guess.” Arorua said.

“Thank you for the offer, but I think I’m more comfortable with helping kids on the sidelines.” Lorac replied. “‘Course, if there’s anything you really need me for, I’ll be happy to!”

“I really wish you joined a long time ago, now I think about it.” Nerehc smiled. “Oh well… keep doin’ good, Lorac.” He and his sister continued toward the town.

**Downtown Dnalevelc**

“Wow, Nerehc… it’s like DNK really _isn’t_ what it used to be.” Arorua continued. “Not even ‘destructive’ anymore? Even though the most destruction I remember in our history is terrorizing Positives.”

“Oh, I made that a rule though. ‘Any Negative that feels the desire to let loose steam and/or have a little fun may go to the Posiverse and terrorize in the name of their opposite.’ It’s like our funnest pastime.”

“It… is?” This already contradicted everything he was doing.

“I figured that was part of the relationship. ‘Course, getting to know each other was a part of it, too, that’s why we had that day. You know Sipa wanted to get out and destroy stuff. Yllas and Yevrah even went there to destroy yo-yos, Alol assaulted Gothic materials, and don’t think Ycrad didn’t wanna terrorize.”

“Hu hu hu. And yet everything is shiny here.” Arorua chuckled. “It’s hard to believe all those traitors still say you’re a bad leader.”

“Not as weird as my hateful sister taking me out on a date.”

“I’m not HATEFUL, and this isn’t a date. I just… wanna show you that. …LOOK, Nerehc, Bananafly’s!” She pointed at the kids’ restaurant across the street. “Still want breakfast? I bet they have pancakes.” she told him slyly.

“Like you ever wanted—HEY!” She was already dragging him over excitedly.

Bananafly’s was one of the funnest restaurants a kid could ever come to. Things were colorful, there was a playground for all the young ones, and dozens of sweetastic meals to keep kids happy and semi-healthy. The waiter brought Nerehc and Aror 10 layers of blueberry pancakes, which the former sliced in half with his Devil’s Sword and began to munch huge chunks. _“Sho’veya got to KNOW me YET?”_ He gargled with syrup streaming down his chin.

“Oh, that’s getting to be there.” Arorua remarked, merely using her knife to cut off little pieces and take her time eating. “So Nerehc, uhhhhmm… how long have you been planning this whole… change?”

“Oh, I dunno.” Nerehc swallowed. “Since training, I think. You remember how many cadet groups kept fighting each other? I just never imagined the organization going well because of that. ‘Course I did it, too, to be fair… I did it more. But that’s why Supreme Leader still passed us. Made me his assistant, even. Taught me just what my mom taught: a Negaverse has Negatives. It defines our balance, and DNK’s philosophy. That’s why… he let the whole organization fall into chaos. He abused his operatives and tore down a couple treehouses. In the end, a semi-occurring purple fire set his office to sparks and earned him indefinite hospitalizing.”

“No one ever knew why.” Aror said sarcastically. “At least you were a little less neglective.”

“Yeah… I really wasn’t sure what to do. I wanted to erase what he did, but by that time, he and Mom got to me. I didn’t think the Negaverse could be anything but… negative. But we know now my philosophy wasn’t so bad at all, I guess. If I hadn’t seized the throne, he _definitely_ woulda cracked under the Dictator.”

“Just like all the other leaders. Think about why they… _did_ for a moment. Why would any of them crack under the Dictator?”

“Ibsej says she would have, afraid for her life and all. Heh, forgot to mention she visited me this morning.”

“She… did?”

“Unfortunately. Said she was afraid for herself, woulda joined her if I hadn’t come along, but ‘t’s why she joined me. Then she didn’t seem very afraid at all. I oughta try doing that with the other leaders…”

“How much would you… give… to get all those leaders to like you?”

“It’s not that I want ‘em to like me. I just wanna let them know they don’t have to… be afraid. Because of some crazy power the Dictator has. If she used it on me, I wouldn’t’ve surrendered. She’s just one person and a few underlings, but millions of kids easily gave in to her.”

“M-Maybe they had other reasons for joining.” she followed understandably. “Like to save people she threatened to kill. Or-”

“-she promised to kill somebody _for_ them.” Nerehc thought aloud smugly, munching a pancake forcefully.

“…” Arorua’s heart flooded with guilt. “If she threatened to kill somebody you didn’t even know, would you surrender?”

“I’d probly kill her if anything. Like, what would that person have to do with us.”

“W-What if it was one of the traitors. She probably would if…”

“For those guys, I _would_ surrender.” The response startled Arorua. “They’re still my operatives, and I want to protect them. I know I can change their minds, too.”

A pancake slice had been stuck to Aror’s fork for the past 5 minutes as she was twirling it around. “You shouldn’t give away everything you worked for just for a few lives.”

“Why not? Even characters on _Negatar_ did that. Sometimes surrendering so that you may slay your enemies later is a good thing.”

“. . . . . . . . . . .” They had 10 layers of pancakes. Nerehc’s half was tucked in his tummy. Only the second piece of Arorua’s could make it to her fork. “I’m not hungry.” She dropped the fork on her plate and walked out of there in a hurry.

“A-Arorua!” Nerehc reached out for her.

“And will you be paying, Sir?” asked the waiter as he walked by.

“Talk to my parents, you dumb hippie.” Nerehc stormed out as well. _“Just kidding, I’ll come back later.”_

The streets were bustling with townspeople when Nerehc got outside, making it difficult to see where his sister had gone. “Arorua?” Through the crowds, however, appeared to be a dark-blonde girl rushing to fight through. “Aror-Arorua!” Nerehc kicked on his rockets and soared overhead, startling the crowds before he landed right in front of her. “Arorua, what’s wrong with you?! You’re acting really weird today and I don’t like it.”

“I just… c-CAN’T I be concerned about what my brother plans to do if…if something terrible happens?!”

“Yes. But it’s not normally you. Arorua, if something’s bothering you, I want you to tell me.”

“I’ll tell you what’s bothering me, you’d do so much as SURRENDER yourself for a couple of traitors!” she stated aggressively. “What kind of leader does that? They’re _traitors_ , Nerehc, they don’t like you, and they won’t think any more of you if you gave yourself up or not!”

“I figured you of all people would WANT something bad to happen to me.”

“W-Why would you think THAT??”

“Because it’s how you’ve always BEEN, Arorua. You wanted to squish me when I was tiny, you wanted to smother me in my sleep, you were only afraid for me when I was in Termina because Mom would’ve killed you. Why now, of all days, would you be worried for me-”

“Well YOU’VE ALWAYS been a spoiled LUG, but then you go thinking FRIENDSHIP’S most important, DON’T you.”

“Arorua.” Nerehc clutched both of her hands. Over his sunglasses, he stared with a look of pure sincerity and trust. “You’re my sister… and no matter how you care about me, I love you. If there’s anything bothering you…—that’s not my general existence… I want you to tell me. As your leader, too.”

Her eyes were on the verge of tears. She pushed Nerehc aside and vanished into the crowds. “A-Arorua—WAAIT! Ugh. . . .” Nerehc pinched his nasal bridge. “Girls are SO-”

“EMPTY YOUR HEARTS OF HIIIIIM.” Right on cue, Sipa poofed to push him down. “Ah, Nerehc, I was planning to burn down the church when you appeared.”

He stood and brushed himself off. “Hey, Sipa. Anything new going on?”

“Ohmygodlike sooooooo _yeeeeeeeesss_.” The stars in her eyes said plenty. “Brace yourself, Nerehc: do you know what Inferius is?”

“The spell that which makes people inferior to you?”

“Close enough. Inferius is the Reanimation Spell, which can bring dead bodies back to life and allow a wizard complete control over them. Hehehehe, can you IMAGINE the pranks I can do with a spell like that?”

“Sounds wonderful.” Nerehc said sarcastically.

“Hey, I supported you more than a fair amount, so at least sport a mixed chuckle.”

“Kmm heh heh heh.” He smiled. “Can you really do a spell like that, though?”

“Probably not. That’s why I need to practice ‘soon as possible! Then when I’m _really_ good, I can do the _Grand Imperius_!”

“Oh, no. What’s that?”

“It was invented sometime in Napaj: you can summon a soul back from the dead to inhabit an artificial body. Personality and all, any skills or powers they developed in the living will be at the controller’s disposal. Except doing the spell requires a complicated process, so a lot of dark wizards never get around to it. Make that my new personal goal!! Eeeeemmm…” Sipa almost forgot to ask: “So what about you?”

“Arorua’s been acting really weird. It’s like she… knows something and she’s afraid to talk about it. You’d think she’d learn from me after I so _boldly_ revealed the Apocalypse.”

“Well anyway, wanna go with me to practice the Inferius?” she asked eagerly. “I heard about this region in Eporue, _reeeeaaaaally_ dead and full of bodies. It’s the perfect place to practice and train my future army.”

“Hm hm hm.” Nerehc couldn’t lie, Sipa was humorous when she wanted to be. “Let’s swipe a R.E.P.M.A.C.S. and split then.” He took his girlfriend’s hand and rocketed over the city.

**DNK Moonbase**

Activity wasn’t so ecstatic on Moonbase, either. Since Nerehc was late, Ininap took the pleasure of filling his paperwork—which Nerehc himself had begun doing lately, and Sicnarf and Hcaz were training Sucram and Yddam in the gym in Haki and Fishman Karate respectively. Spirits were high around the Moonbase lately, ever since Christmas, people have come to adore Nerehc as a leader. He scared off the Dictator twice and numerous traitors were apprehended before they could do anything. They haven’t tried anything since, so except for ordinary villain attacks, the members of DNK haven’t had to worry about anything.

But jinxes existed even in the Negaverse, because just when good times were continuing, their Moonbase was stormed by a fleet of ships. The glass walls shattered as Psiw of all colors soared in, joined by merkids who caught kids in blood grasps, and Nainozama who ran in to start crushing—except even the simplest blast from a ray gun scared them off.

Hcaz flew in, grabbed a merkid by the tail, and swung him into Psiw while Sicnarf moved swiftly and threw Armament punches at Nainozama; though a waste of strength. “They must be here for the prisoners, come—” A sudden blast of poison blinded their vision. Sicnarf and Hcaz were binded in the metal of the floor, while Yddam and Sucram were trapped in a psychic grip.

The smog, created by Yenmihc, cleared as Avakam marched forward with a smoking gun. The escaped DNKG agents surrounded them, including Ynnad. “Your leader late to the scene?” remarked Avakam.

“And what LAME locks!” Beewv jumped on her shoulder. “Surprised these lame-o’s ain’t escaped themSELVES!”

“Whaddo you think you’re doing?” Sicnarf asked in his calm tone.

“Preparation.” Ynnad confirmed, his wand aimed at Ininap, whom Enaillihr had wrapped inside water tentacles.

**EiznekCm Household**

Arorua returned to her house and collapsed frontwards on her bed. She couldn’t be near Nerehc right now. She can’t bear to face him again. Her brother… whom she had come to hate so much. Whom their mother favorited… gave him powers of the Devil. Whom Arorua would get in trouble for picking on, because he was so adored. Loved by his mother, loved by a Satan girl, a Spanish kid, a spineless stutterer. Everyone loved or admired Nerehc… and what had he done for anyone.

He made an alliance with the Nimbi, became close friends with their leader so she would drop in on him while he was in underwear. (Or at least Arorua hoped.) He showed Christmas to the DNK, made everyone buy presents for another, whether they liked them or didn’t like them. He and Cheren introduced them to their Positives… Arorua still didn’t know the point, to strengthen their bonds or something. Whatever it was… Nerehc did it for them. He was a leader that truly cared for his followers. Arorua pegged him all wrong.

What had she done, though. Besides be lazy… so uncaring for her bickering friends, showing no enthusiasm for the missions Nerehc gave them. Lame missions, maybe, but Arorua had no spirit. She had no care for her little brother, showed no respect to her leader. After all the pranks and embarrassment… Nerehc had this to say:

_“You’re my sister… and no matter how you care about me, I love you. If there’s anything bothering you…—that’s not my general existence… I want you to tell me. As your leader, too.”_

…The Negaverse had no gods… that’s what they were always taught. So why… was there a sun over their world? Why would any soul know what Christmas is, or the idea of love. Why, in a world where they would not be watched, judged… was she regretful in her decisions. Cared for her brother’s safety. Wanted, more than anything… for him to have it all.

“Second thoughts?” Annaira asked. Just when Arorua looked up in surprise, she was trapped in her unbreakable grasp.

**Eporue; Dead Lands**

True to the word, there was a humongous plain in Eporue that was absolutely dead. The sky was pitch black, no wind blew. Not a single hint that even a blade of grass ever existed. Since just about anywhere looked juicy, they decided to take land on a random spot of land. The ground beneath their feet felt like solid flat rock at first step, but there was a hint of… softness that they couldn’t describe. All Sipa needed to know, how much lie underneath. “Inferius.”

With a wave of her wand, nothing happened for 10 seconds. Then, part of the ground before her sprouted a lump, the earth giving away as a dirt-riddled skeleton rose up. Sipa waved her wand like a conductor’s baton, the corpse mimicking in movement. She flicked her wand, forcing the corpse to push its upper half out of the ground and wander about on its hands. “Huh. It worked.” Nerehc said. “Nice job, Sipa.”

“I know, but let’s keep it going!” She cast the spell at another spot, making the upper half of a one-armed skeleton come out. It scratched the ground as it crawled around, and Sipa let them be accompanied by a straight one with no arms, running about frantically with his boney legs. Nerehc continued to watch as Sipa revived numerous skeletons, all playfully doing whatever like mindless animals.

“I doubt you’ll make much an army out of these things.” Nerehc said honestly. “Though if you wanted some extra hands around the house, by all means-”

Sipa’s arms fell to her side. To Nerehc’s confusion, her eyes were lazy and milky, as though she was just Imperiused. The skeleton with two arms and no legs crawled back over, staring at Sipa with empty sockets. For 30 seconds they stared… it made Nerehc uneasy. “Ummm, Sipa… you okay?”

 _“…Are you…are you… coming to the tree. Where they strung up a man… they say murdered three. Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be.”_ Sipa mindlessly walked forward, muttering this rhythm. _“If we met at midnight, under the Hanging Tree.”_

Nerehc hurried after the girl, trying to make the least bit of sense of what she was doing. _“Are you. Are you. Coming to the tree. Where dead man called out… for his love to flee. Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be. If we met at midnight, underneath the tree.”_ (Play “Hanging Tree” from _Hunger Games: Mockingjay_.)

Her quiet, gentle voice was joined by a team of voices whose sources Nerehc could not see. The field was totally empty… no… it wasn’t… Nerehc saw faint white auras, reaching from the ground and appearing from the mist. He had the strange sensation that hundreds of thousands of eyes were staring at them. Sipa singing with the rhythm of thousands of voices.

He followed Sipa a few miles into the plain, before she finally stopped and tapped her shoe to the ground in a certain pattern. Before their eyes, a square patch of land lit, sinking into a staircase that led into darkness. Still singing with the voices, Sipa stepped down first, and his heart racing with worry, Nerehc followed. It was so dark, Nerehc’s violet flame provided little light, but something in his possession did: the white light of the Devil’s Sword surpassed all the rest, so Nerehc raised it forth, illuminating this land to its full brightness.

He was at a loss for words. Underneath this plain where everything was dead… there was a tree. For miles beneath the surface this cave stretched, all to make room for this tree that grew upside-down. The bark was cold and dead as stone, its branches skimpy, having never known a shred of life. Embedded within the bark, within the walls, reeking… thousands and thousands of corpses. Nerehc’s sword gave light to it all… but thanks to its presence, more lights were added: thousands of faded white souls appeared from the darkness, staring at Nerehc with still, lifeless eyes. There was a hint of expectation in these eyes… like these souls have been waiting for someone like him for ages and ages.

Nerehc shot back to attention, remembering why he was down here: he was following Sipa, who was long down a pathway that led down the many branches this tree “grew.” He was afraid of catching up using his rockets, so he merely followed the pathway she took, steadily catching up. The singing voices only grew louder as he went; soon, they would be inside his head entirely. He would be seconds from catching up with Sipa, he hoped. That is, before something caught his eye: on a branch above him, 3 leaves were sprouted. Green, tiny leaves that looked like they were struggling to stay on. But Nerehc could clearly see, one of the leaves was half-brown. In a matter of time, it would fully turn the color of rust, fall into the abyss.

Speaking of the abyss, Nerehc continued down the tree, desperate to catch up to Sipa. After what felt like miles of descending, Nerehc finally hit solid ground. But Sipa was still not done, mindlessly wandering around the stem, er, tip of the tree. Nerehc followed, and saw she was standing before a small, narrow shaft that led into darkness. When he expected her to grab a ladder and climb, instead she fell headfirst down the darkness. “Sipa!” He ran there and stood on the edge, but not even his Devil’s Sword could illuminate the blackness. With every bit of courage, Nerehc jumped down, alighting his flaming shoes to soften his descent. He fell and fell, with no hope of ever finding a bottom. Nerehc got the idea this chasm would take him to the Earth’s very core. Only time would tell.

But time would suddenly move faster when Nerehc’s rockets immediately vanished, and he took the great fall. In seconds, he expected to join these souls in song… but a soft landing prevented such a fate. Nerehc gasped, realizing what he landed on. Sipa lay totally flat on the ground-… he didn’t wanna say dead. He quickly turned her onto her back, checking for a pulse. Despite her still-cold eyes, those thumps were the only relief of Nerehc’s day. But why his flames suddenly stopped burning… why now, this deep beneath the earth’s crust.

And then Nerehc knew why: this room was filled to the brim with Chi-Seals. Dozens and dozens, more than he cared to count. All to the dedication of sealing one door. When he stepped forward, Nerehc knocked the door gently, and was unable to push it open. Nerehc absolutely had no idea why all these Chi-Seals were necessary. Only one could put the stamp on a bender, and two at the entrance of a building would have the structure set in stone. Why would just one door require so many seals? Nerehc came to only two conclusions: behind this door was a treasure so incomparably valuable or sacred, they made sure no bender could breach this… or inside this door was a bender of such unimaginable fury and power, they made absolutely sure he couldn’t escape. But what bender would have such power? Nerehc didn’t think chi-blocks worked on gods. No bender in the universe should require so many chi-blocks, to keep them in OR out. So why…why were all these seals in place. (End song.)

All he knew was… this creeped him the fuck out. He wanted to turn around and leave—“GAAH!!” when Sipa suddenly grabbed his shoulder forcefully. Her eyes were a deep crimson red, no signs of life or consciousness at all.

**_“.won si emit taht ,tcejorp siht htiw dna ,latrom dnoyeb raf reit a eveihca dna stimil lacisyhp sih dnoyeb evlove lliw nam ,yad eno taht os egdelwonk kees ot eunitnoc dna seiradnuob sih dnoyeb og ot ytud s’nam neeb syawla sah ti ,dniknam fo yrotsih eht ni tnemhsilpmocca tsetaerg eht si ti ,hcraeser fo sega fo tluser eht si tcejorp sihT”_ **

Nerehc absolutely wanted to get the fuck out of this tree, and he wanted to get out now. ‘Cause that was absolutely the creepiest thing Sipa had done in her entire life. His heart continued to race even after Sipa shook her head and her eyes returned to normal. “…Boy, did you just totally doze off, too?”

“… … ..Weneedtogetoutofherenow.” He grabbed Sipa’s hand and ran for the exit—but there wasn’t even a ladder to guide them back. “CRAP! Sipa, use Ascendio!”

“What am I, some Posiverse Nomékop?”

“I can’t fly, so just do it!”

“All right. Ascendio!” She threw her wand up and shot straight up the shaft like a rocket. But no way her magic would take them all the way, thankfully they were out of the chi-zone as Nerehc kicked on his rockets and flew the rest of the way. They were back at the tree, and ignoring any sort of anger the ghosts might get in, he continued flying all the way to the top. Passing all the branches, all the ghosts, stopping before they hit the ceiling. Nerehc flew around until they found the ledge with the stairway up, taking land. “Siiigh… what a drag.” Nerehc breathed.

“Nerehc, how did we get down here?!”

“You tell me, YOU’RE the one who led me!”

“I did not, I—”

“Can YOU twerps take your arguing somewhere ELSE?!” a chubby ghost with a short beard yelled angrily.

“Wait a second… aren’t you-”

“Hori of the Psychic Nation, THANK YOU for asking.” the ghost responded with an unfriendly tone. “Former Master of the Black Lotus forced into a CRAPPY afterlife because his _Positive_ got tired of mortal squabbles. _Choked on a damn hotdog.”_

“Meh you think THAT’S bad, I ‘ad ta slip on a ‘nana and SPLAT just ‘cause MAH Positive had ta organize an assassination on HIMSELF.” proclaimed Subla Erodelbmud, who Sipa knew as the former principal of the magic school, Guineapimples. “Wah if I could have ten SECONDS in the Spirit World, Ah would go for mah Positive and choke his ohld spiritual GUTS out. Ah tell ya, nothin’ makes me more GOSHdamn mad than those GOSHdamn Positives. …Oh, and Sipa, excellent first Inferius.”

“What kind of place IS this?” Nerehc exclaimed.

“Wah it’s the place where Negatives go when they DEAD, fool! Or at least one of the places, I think there’s a lake up in Aisa, but you should see-”

 _“AAAAAAAHHH!”_ They whipped around at the stairway when a scream seemed to sound from outside.

“What the… Sipa, come on!” He took his girlfriend’s hand and rushed up.

“FINALLY, get lost!” Hori called after. “So wha’ was that about you humping Avrenim?” he asked Subla.

Nerehc and Sipa arrived back to the surface, and several yards ahead, Arorua was on her knees. “Aror!” Leaving Sipa, Nerehc skied over, halting a few feet before his sister. “Arorua… what’s-”

“AAAAAAHH!” Arorua’s shoulder blades burst through her flesh, crimson with blood as she hovered into the air.

“ARORUA!!” Nerehc was about to fly up and grab-

“Don’t.” But then faced forward. Aluben .D Mottobeikniw stood, her blank, lidless eyes staring. “Nerehc… I have learned… all I needed to.”

“DAAAAH!” He whipped around, seeing Sipa flail her arms and throw her wand away. Annaira had her in a bloodbending grasp, pinning her to the ground with her arms trying to twist behind. Nerehc readied to strike lightning, but ceased as Anna raised Sipa like a shield, and went further to make the girl choke herself.

“Waste not.” Aluben told her subject. Anna released Sipa’s hands and lowered her to her knees. “You’re in no more position to fight… out of this.” Aluben held her hands raised and open as she kept Arorua aloft. “After 3 years… my crowning is firm. Finally… after all of this time… you have no more else to say. Nerehc… it is time for you to submit to the only working order.”

“Humph. And what order is that?”

“You see, Nerehc… I’ve always viewed an empire as… a body. A _human_ body, if you will… And what is a body than millions of cells, all carrying a special task set forth for them by their god? Millions of tiny, tiny minerals, working. The nations of that empire – the bones of the body – all in perfect order and balance, to forever keep the body moving. Progressing. But what happens, when even the simplest bone is a little bit faulty? The body… _breaks_.”

“AAAAAAHHH!” Arorua’s left leg was bent upward, so her femur and tibia bones stuck out. Nerehc never saw a sight so painful; he never felt greater sympathy for anyone than Arorua.

“But then… you’re…”

“Yes, Nerehc… **bone** bending. Controlling the bones of the mortal body, sensing the tiny minerals and enforcing your will over them. The most powerful and darkest of earthbending moves. My mother, brother and I are the last of the Mottobeikniw Family. The last of the bonebenders. Our ancestors, some of the first earthbenders to be entrusted with the power, have long desired to study its dark side. So, they came to the discovery of bonebending. Our chi became embedded within, not just our feet, but our skeletal structure. This power became feared, so my family was executed. Except, through a fault of her Positive, my mother. Who lived to this very day and had me. I have further demonstrated its ferocity… by establishing full dominion. Almost…”

“And you couldn’t use it on me?”

“Because dark arts of any kind cannot affect darknessbenders. Not bloodbending, breathbending, or dark magic. I had nothing to control you, force you to my side. Until now…”

“But you could’ve taken anyone hostage anytime. Why choose now?”

“Because I had the wrong impression of you. I thought, with the Devil’s essence inside, all that defined you was darkness and hatred. I was wrong. Inside, your heart is weak. You allow others into your life with love. You choose to seek light instead of the darkness which exists plainly inside you. I thought, if I had taken your sister and PULLED the skeleton from her flesh… you would show no remorse. I was wrong…”

“You seemed to get the impression… that I was just like you.” Nerehc said firmly. “We both used our dark powers to get where we were… but all I sought in my quest was a better change.”

“Make yourself distinguished with your tone. Stand out… above all the rest as a boy of love, not hatred. But understand… hatred is all that defines this world. The gods turn a blind eye to our dark world, and any elements or magic blessed onto us is devoted solely to dark arts. That’s because our world, the Dark Side of the Coin, is _made_ of their hatred. The hatred they wanted to put aside, so they may only see the light, Positive side. No matter what you do, Nerehc, you will never change this world. If you want further proof… join me at the tree. And I will show you…”

“Does this have anything to do with that weird door?!”

“A door? I have no idea what you mean. All I know… is the legend surrounding this tree. Do you know?”

“Hmmf.” Nerehc kept his glare fixed.

“This Tree of Ending, alongside Mt. Gnaa and many such structures, indeed contained all the fallen souls of Negatives. That is why either of these structures was filled with nothing but dark energy. The hatred that was accumulated in all these poor souls… gave Negatar Gnaa an incredible source of energy that would allow him to revive Arceus in all his darkness. But Mt. Gnaa was a small puddle next to the Tree of Ending. Souls filled with the deepest spite came here, their energy polluting the Negaverse for eons. All thanks to the will of whom your powers originate.”

“You mean… _Demise_?”

“Lord Satan himself, yes. These structures were of his creation, and the Tree of Ending was rich with evil energy. And so, he cast his own influence over the accursed tree. Should any soul so desperate enough to want to follow in his footsteps… Should his body be destroyed, and his soul forced to inhabit that of mortals… they can come here… and take it all. Every ounce of boiling darkness would be at their will.”

“Are you saying you want to… ABSORB all these souls?”

“Absorption in a manner of speaking. No… I will, in fact, become one with them. These souls, when summoned forth, will inhabit their former bodies, wherever in the world they may be. I will control each and every one of their corpses. Their energy once again thriving in their bones, my Army Built On Hatred will be the most powerful the Negaverse has ever seen. All I need now to accomplish this… is you, Nerehc.”

“Why would I help you?”

“If you have any love for your sister… or those that serve under you… you will use your demon powers to summon them. My followers have already taken your Moonbase, your operatives will be ours to sacrifice. But not before this one… For every minute you take, your sister’s ‘nation’ will become a little more disoriented.”

“AAAAAHH-UUUAAAAAHHH!” No later did Arorua’s arms twist so her finger bones poked out of separate areas from their respective flesh shells.

Nerehc couldn’t take anymore of that, not wanting to see what bones will pop out of his sister next. “All…All right.”

“Nereeehc!” Sipa yelled in protest.

“B…Bro..” Arorua choked.

“I promise to join up with you and help you out. Just… don’t hurt any of my operatives.”

“You have my word…” And to everyone’s surprise, Aluben placed Arorua on the ground, still in unbearable pain with her dislocated bones. Annaira forced Sipa onto the ground, not taking her grip off her. Aluben walked past Nerehc and the tree’s entrance, toward a small, simple stump standing lonely in the barren field. “Take your sword, and thrust it in this stump.”

“What’ll this do?” Nerehc asked, following.

“This stump is the base of the entire tree. Connected to all of its roots. With the Devil’s Sword, that which belonged to Demise himself, the souls which lie in rest here will be called.”

Nerehc still couldn’t believe any of this would happen. He was anxious at the thought. If he stuck this sword into the stump, would eons of angered souls rise from the grave and bow to Aluben’s power? Or was it all a hoax. Better yet, what if her bonebending didn’t affect their corpses and they would roam the earth terrorizing every living soul.

“Shall we just add your friends on Moonbase into the mix?” she asked.

Nerehc couldn’t wait anymore. He sincerely hoped with all his heart, as he raised the sword above the stump… she was wrong.

The sword pierced clean through, and as Nerehc gripped the hilt firmly in both hands—almost forcibly glued to it, the Triforce seal on his right hand shined, his energy flowing down the sword and into the stump. The very ground where it lay buried and the tremendous dead tree glowed an eerie purple light. Ghostly figures began to emerge all around, the most terrifying and howling visages on their demonic forms. Some shot directly back into the ground while others flew vast distances. Legions of skeletons arised from the ground, encased inside dark, otherworldly auras. Even Sipa was terrified, this being far beyond her magical or Satanic level. The dead had arisen with unfathomable built-up rage. _The Grand Inferius… this can’t really be it… can it?_

That’s when they all started jittering uncontrollably. Nerehc saw Aluben hovering into the air—possibly making her own bones float, and whirled her arms. The skeletons immediately flew off the ground and into a dusty cluttered cyclone, brimming with their evil blue auras as they centered on Aluben. “My father, an esteemed emotionbender, used his powers to remove all of my feelings, so that I may focus solely on my goal. To make my body the perfect vessel for thousands of years of hatred. With all this evil in their bones, mixed into my own… I will achieve my ultimate goal, as Goddess of the Negaverse. This world… will finally have a deity to protect it, keep it in order. For I will rule it all with… HATRED.”

Aluben’s back bones pierced out of her body, linking with some of thousands and thousands of bones within the cyclone. All of those dark, angry souls, their expressions ravenous, howled at the soulless child and shot into her body. She didn’t even scream. Just floated there and let thousands of beings of hatred come. The anger and rage existed clearly in their bones. Now those bones were all her own.

In the center of this vast, dark plain was a great blue light that revealed all. This light… belonged to one, supreme being. A great colossus of thousands of molded corpses. Alit by ghostly blue flames, allowing perfect view of her furious, burning black/yellow eyes. _“I AM the Goddess of DEATH….. I AM the Negaverse’s first guardian deity. I am she… who will bring new order to the World of Hatred. I, the sole embodiment of pure hatred… must continue to grow… until those who resist… will KNOW.”_

Her titanic, evil gaze fixed upon Annaira, whom even she was terrified of her ruler’s new power. _“Scour the treehouses. Order every operative inside to submit… or face judgment. Take all of the denizens of Moonbase and bring them to headquarters. Let them see their new age.”_

Anna only nodded. Aluben turned toward the heavens, her colossal form rising from the earth, going to the heavens.

Totally passing this off at the moment, Nerehc flew straight back to Arorua. With so many bones sticking out, but still not dead, she had every right to be crying. “Arorua…” He wanted to offer to get her help, but he questioned what doctors could fix such ruptures.

A sniffle. “N-Nerehc… I’m… sorry.”

“The Dictator ambushed you, it’s not your fault. I promise I’m going to-”

“She didn’t just ambush me. I…I was WORKING for her.”

“She forced you to spy on me?! No wonder why-”

“NO. She didn’t. I…I JOINED her mySELF.”

_“What?”_

“Look!” Arorua pulled away and slipped off her left boot. On the back of her foot—or rather the flesh as the bones were twisted leftward—the DNKG logo was inscribed.

“Why…”

“I…I just _hated_ you… so… much.” She hadn’t even the strength to look up. Her tears dropped directly to the ground. “Mom gave you everything… treated you like the prince you are. You were always so spoiled… to me. I thought that’s… all you were. That’s why you took the office of leader. Aside from fighting the Dictator… you did NOTHING. All you wanted was the throne… but I was wrong. Even before you made the alliance, you were a great leader. You gave me… and so many others treehouses and important jobs. You always… had it in you. You made friends with the Nimbi… showed Christmas to us. After how much I was mean to you, you still loved me. You _did_ … still love me. But I was jealous, so I ignored it all. I just wanted to… hate you… and kill you. So I promised Aluben I would spy on you. I wanted to stop, ever since Christmas, since Nollid found out and never turned me in… but it’s not that easy. I was afraid for myself. The inscription? There’s a spell in place where Aluben can control any person that has it in their skin. It lets her bonebend them from afar, even see what they’re doing. Even though Annaira is the one who writes them in.”

“…”

“So I kept spying on you… and nothing happened for months. Until…Until her agents reported to’ve found the Tree. Aluben wanted me to get a bit more info out of you… determine for certain your weaknesses. She heard everything you said to me… what you would’ve done for your operatives. I knew… all along… this would happen.”

“…” Nerehc closed his eyes. “You should’ve told me… a long time ago.”

Arorua looked up. An eerie darkness fell over Nerehc.

“If I had known this… I would’ve cut Aluben’s head off a long TIME ago!!”

“Nerehc.” He turned to Annaira, who still had Sipa in her grasp. “Time for yours. Since bloodbending won’t work… I have other means.” She pulled out a pocketknife.

Before either could respond, the ground began trembling. Miles to the west, a great cyclone of dust and bones spiraled their way. Anna kept hold on Sipa and ran one way while Nerehc took Arorua and soared to the sky. The wind of the cyclone was too strong, and seemed dead on catching Nerehc. With all his strength, the latter couldn’t get to the sky. He and Arorua were sucked in. “AAAAAHHHH!” Annaira and Sipa only watched as it blew beyond the horizon.

**Ydnew’s House**

The mountains never looked more beautiful. Even with so many clouds still in the heavens, there were plenty of holes to let sun in. All this light, to Ydnew and Itaav’s eyes… could only be a bad omen. “Dad… what’s going on?”

“Something I expected for a while, Ydnew. Ever since… he predicted it would.”

“You mean…?”

“Yes. Let’s only hope… he got to Nerehc in time.”

 

**Yes, folks… Aluben’s powers are revealed. And what a time, when she achieves the Logia. Two more chapters until this Season of Shadows concludes. I will see you… for the final battles.**


	19. Two-and-a-half Devils

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nerehc Onu tries to master his inner powers of darkness. Meanwhile, the Daring New Kids try to escape from DNKG H.Q.!

**Get ready for endless fighting.**

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Chapter -2: Two-and-a-half Devils

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**Realm of Shadows**

Nerehc begun to regain his vision, facing a wavy window-like sky that depicted an image of the surface, a bright orange light shining from below his vision. It appeared that black, ghostly shadows were floating high above. A young-looking male shadow then loomed over Nerehc. “What is it?”

A girl shadow joined him. _“A human, duh.”_

Another boy. _“What’s it doin’?”_

Nerehc’s mind came back to him, sitting up as the shadows moved back. “Huh… what are you things?”

 _“We’re shadows, duh.”_ said the girl.

 _“In the Shadow Realm.”_ followed the first boy.

 _“Where else, duh?”_ remarked the second.

“The Shadow Realm? How did I get here?”

_“Who knows.”_

_“But Old Man Mid.”_

_“’Cause he brought you here.”_

“Run along, kids.” The shadows looked up behind Nerehc and flew away. The boy turned to a shabby-looking house where a skinny old man was limping out of the dark entrance, his cane clacking the ground hard. When he came into dim light, Nerehc saw he dressed in black-and-white-striped clothing. The left of his face was white while the right was black… but the upper part of that white half looked torn off, unveiling the darker-white skull. His right hand clutching the cane was boney, and his left hand and legs, Nerehc saw through the raggedy pants, had missing parts of flesh. “I left you out here for the air… come inside if you want.”

He turned back inside himself, and since Nerehc naturally had questions, he followed him. In the dark, dampness that he called home, Arorua was lain on a table, moaning eerily as bones still stuck out. The man stood over and calmly waved his hands. Some bones were slowly sinking back into her body. “You’re a bonebender, too…”

“Not just any… I am Oitnemid .Z Mottobeikniw. I am Aluben’s uncle.”

“Her… uncle?”

“One million and 500 thousand years old… ehhh, assuming my math is correct. I and my sister, Aitnemid lived that long ago on our planet, Aruhtaz. Our family studied dark arts and ruled our world… but there was a race whose sole desire was peace for all aliens: the Etimgarc. Although usually peaceful, they held nothing back when our people attacked them. My sister and I always felt… disaster would come. We stole a ship and fled Aruhtaz, landed on Psiw, and settled there. Since then, the two of us have desired reviving our clan by continuing its legacy. We chose to expand the field of bonebending, searching its inner secrets… and from there, we would realize our true dream: immortality.”

“Immortal?”

“Our chi, our life-force, flowed within the bones which our bending is named for. By continuing to harness our inner bone, its energy… they would not decay for quite some time. They would always be sturdy and thriving… so that our hearts remained beating, our souls remained entwined. For over a million years, we have… though we suspected our Positives played a role, too. Using means of living forever. Aitnemid’s bones, sadly, became faulty 20 years ago after accumulating a disease, and she collapsed. Saddened, I left on my own… and later learned she was revived by a strange Time Ghost, whom already assured the same would be done for her Positive.

“After we reunited, we sought to learn more about this ‘Positive.’ We found a way into their world… learned of the GKND, a fallen organization created from many aliens across the universe. Aitnemid desired to make her own. But as she was far too old… chronologically… she bared children, and set them on the task.”

“So she had Aluben to establish a universe-wide dictatorship?”

“To continue the teachings of the Nairuhtaz. Aluben, the newest bonebender in ages, would know just what our powers made our family: gods. We, those whose element allowed us to control planets, could also control bodies. Although waterbenders had their own equivalent, bones are stronger than flesh. That’s what Aluben came to learn. In this universe with no gods, she would fulfill the duty of our ancestors. Command millions of bodies through sheer authority and power. That is… bonebending.”

“So, what did you do?”

“I… spoke against it. For so many years of painful immortality, I had hoped the two of us could search for peace. Our family had been long since dead… but my sister did not let go. She has given her task to Aluben… who in turn, brought chaos to the Negaverse. I… disconnected from them. Fled to the Shadow Realm… and lived here. I knew that one day… she would come this far.”

“Where is Aluben now?”

“I believe she is collecting. She must continue to grow on hatred… by absorbing more souls through their bones. Her power has already reached a peak where even thousands of mortals could not fight her.”

“So, what? We have to rely on the gods?”

“There are times when you can, and times when you cannot. But you, Nerehc… are the one who gave Aluben her power. As the Demon Prince, he whose soul contains the essence of the Devil… can use his hatred to destroy the body Aluben now bears.”

Nerehc understood that. He awakened all those souls, so he knew it was his job to end this. But more importantly, “Can you save my sister?”

A few more bones sank back into her. “I can return the bones to their original position, but they’re badly damaged. The dangers of bonebending or any dark art is it can weaken the body drastically, disturbing chi-flow or endangering life. But I have a means of saving her, have faith. Don’t fear for her when you can be fearing for your operatives.”

“Are you hurt—Arorua?” Nerehc stuttered.

_“Nnn…mm…”_

“I gave her medicine, numbing her nerves while I proceeded. A few more shan’t hurt. Await my return.” Oitnemid walked away.

Nerehc approached the table as Arorua weakly turned her head, eyes cracked open. _“Ne-ere-e-ehc…”_

“Everything okay?”

_“Nerehc… why do you… love me. I never… loved you.”_

“You’re my sister. I never said this aloud, but… I always cared about everyone around me. I know it sounds silly… the Demon Prince loving people. I guess that is what makes me weak… I’m a worse leader in the end.”

_“Nerehc… I was… the idiot. I should’ve stopped hating you… spoken to you a long time ago. I could’ve… understood this love. I would’ve seen a side of you… that should’ve been above everything else. Your way of leading was… great.”_

“Aluben though… I feel sorry for her. She sacrificed her emotions. Any reason to love. Now all she has is… hatred. …I have to stop her.”

“Hatred and Love are Darkness and Light in the field of emotions.” Oitnemid spoke, returning with a liquid medicine. “Opposite sides can repel, not just attract. To defeat hatred… fight it with greater hatred.”

“But I don’t want to use hatred. I’ve been trying to end the negativity in our world, make peace and understanding between friends and groups of peoples. Destroying Aluben out of hatred would be-”

“A path God hath chosen for you.” Nerehc looked to a dark doorway. The purple-eyed white-robed priest of St. Frollo’s stepped out.

“Father Reilicaf?”

“Ah know I have been teaching you to accept your light and let it shine, the VERY light God hath given. But Day and Night exists in both worlds, where there must be light, they must have darkness. You must know good feelings, must know love for thine family and friends.” He spoke in his typical passionate priest tone. “But you must not deny those feelings of darkness, not deny the hatred which drives passion. Do not lie to yourself, Boyah. You are angry. You HATE Aluben for what she has done! For hurting your sister, terrorizing your friends and everyone you love! Let your hate for her, spawn from your love for them!” He reached a hand and clutched an invisible force in his fingers. “Let your hate give you the strength to fight!”

“Rrrrr!” Nerehc shook. “How can that be?! I was always taught happiness and love was the only moral path. It’s what my mom taught… she raised me to avoid those feelings. Why should hatred be the only path to defeat her?”

 _“Because it is the natural path.”_ said the third mysterious voice today.

Nerehc and Reilicaf went outside. The black, armored dragon Giratina was perched on the outer yard, curious child shadows around him. “Giratina…”

_“The Negaverse is just what it is: Negative. The gods designed its essence out of the very anger and hatred that comprised their own forms. You’ve heard the old saying that you are made in God’s image. Well, the people in that Positive Universe are made in the image of happiness and light. You and your denizens are made of anger, and darkness. The very same reason Arceus decided to throw me in here, in this Shadow Realm. I was too violent, so he threw me in this serene dimension to ease my soul. But the fact still stands, the Posiverse is up there, basking in the light, while your world is doomed to drown in darkness. Where more people are racist, more rulers are conquerors, and more friends are enemies.”_

“So it’s all true then.” Nerehc spoke angrily. “You DID chuck us down here to ignore us.”

_“It was a fault of the gods, I know. You’d understand if you were Arceus, having to create and organize every insignificant thing in a whole, balanced universe, and hundreds more after. Aggravation and anger consumed us. It was reflected in the Negatives. Or… that’s how it was. But things have changed. In a growing, structuring universe… balance exists in all. Your denizens oppose the philosophy of the Positives… but you bear things you have in common. Anger and hatred exists in their world with happiness and love, and happiness and love exists in your world with anger and hatred. Posiverse and Negaverse… all of you are human, angels, aliens. You have personalities, abilities, you grow, develop, and learn what it means to have bonds and emotions. The true balance… is a natural balance. Hate and anger, with love and friendship, a natural balance that makes a person strong. Take those evils and use them.”_

“Hmph.” Nerehc sat on the ground and subconsciously twirled the empty sheath of his sword against it. “Anger that, friendship this… you’re talking like a _Harry Potter_ book. Which I only know from Cheren showing it to me. I get how I have to use my hate for Aluben to save the friends which I love to defeat her, but one fact still stands: that Aluben’s a mutant colossus of dead bodies that now controls the dead, and all of the darkbending I could muster isn’t gonna work.”

“No, Boy… it cannot.” Reilicaf frowned. “Shamed as I am to say… you need more hate, more darkness. And no greater source… than where darkness comes from. From Satan.”

“You mean Demise? But isn’t he-”

 _“Inside of you.”_ Giratina informed. _“Have you forgotten that when Ganondorf and his unholy form was destroyed, your mother absorbed the energy that remained. She kept it, and passed it on to you after your birth. I think she heard Rachel going to make her newest son carry her legacy, so Lehcar desired a son to antagonize him. I suppose part of the wish came true. No god can ever be destroyed, because their chi will exist and act through mortals. The Demon King of the Underworld and his power is inside you. You must look inside yourself and ask him for his power.”_

“Perfect, get one of those mini camera-microphones and stuff it in me.”

“That ain’t what he was sayin’.” Yevrah said disbelieved. “Actually, we have a way, but it’s dangerous. We must get yo’ sword back at the Tree of Ending, but only if you’re ready to face the challenges ahead.”

“I’m not Sissy Cherry. So yeah, ’course I am.”

“Perfect…” Oitnemid said hoarsely. “Our friends will assist you… come in.”

Nerehc looked to a far end of the isle, a circular archway with a portal that just spiraled to life. “Let me in FIRST, Uuuus!”

“No, Nil, you’re going to faaaaall!” The younger sister tugged on her elder’s arm and tried to keep her feet firm.

“Mmm!” Nil pulled away. “I wanna see the SHADOOOOOWWWWS!” Running forward with no sense of direction, she went off the edge. “WAAAAAHHHHH! !” Her shadow thankfully caught her and pulled back.

The next to emerge from the portal were Sir Itaav, Ydnew, Raseac Atnalamid, a slim, gorgeous woman with a large chest, and a walking piano that morphed into a dinosaur. “You’ve saved him after all, Oitnemid, good job.” Itaav said.

“Who are you all?”

“We’re of a secret society whose job is to ensure peace within the Negaverse, the Order of the Black Lotus. You may call me Sir Itaav. This is my daughter, Ydnew; the children are Nil and Niyus, daughters of our Shadow Mistress, Hpot; Raseac there, this woman is Ettolrahc Nilnil – call her Little Aunt – a poisonbender who can extract unhealthy minerals from bodies; and you already know Mr. Reilicaf and Oitnemid.”

“What about the dinosaur?”

“His name would be Yeoj; a magic user and extremely rare Metamorphmagus, able to change into anything he wishes. Our enemies would love to get ahold of him, so he always conceals his true form.”

“But Mr. Reilicaf, you’re with them, too?”

“Although I am a man of God, know that this is the Negaverse, ergo Christians are more open-minded. HhhhhhHA hahahahahahaha!” He held his chest in laughter. “Actually, the Black Lotus was different in the old days; as servants of the Negatar, all they sought is destruction and darkness.”

“But things are different now, since I took over.” Itaav proclaimed in his high voice. “My mission is to bring peace and order to the Negaverse, and I shall. These are some of the greatest benders and people I’ve come to know, and no other people would I trust.”

“We want to help you stop the DNKG and save your friends.” Ydnew said with a ready face. “We’re going to.”

“Wow… to think I’d have my own private army.” Nerehc said. “Alright… let’s do it. Where to first?”

“The Tree of Ending,” Little Aunt replied, “so we may get your sword back. Let’s hurry, because we think Aluben is collecting more corpses. We haven’t got much time.”

“Ydnew, once we’re back in the Negaverse, take us to the tree with your spacebending.” Itaav told her. “I’ve showed it to you, so I trust your power.”

Ydnew nodded seriously. “I’ll give it all I got.”

“Mr. Ointment.” Nerehc looked at the bonebender. “You’ll help Arorua… won’t you?”

Mr. ‘Ointment’ nodded. “Until my last breath… I’ll save her.”

“I’m going there FIRST, Uuuus!” Nil excitedly rushed into the portal.

“We’re supposed to stay with the GROUP, Niiiiil!” Niyus chased in, and soon the others joined.

 _“Hmm… they were looking for a nickname for you.”_ Giratina said to Oitnemid.

“Siiiigh. What a perfect day to die.”

**Eporue; Dead Lands**

The region was dark and abandoned, even more so without those thousands of souls. In a blinding flash, Ydnew Llevram and all their guests splorped out of space, the girl gasping for breath. “I think I prefer… Sipa’s Apparating.” Nerehc said dizzily.

“The sword, it’s this way.” Itaav led the group forward; Nerehc reckoned this was probably the most life-force the valley’s ever had.

“Sooooo the Black Lotus used to be bad, but now it’s good.” Nerehc recapped.

“That’s correct.”

“How did you take it over?”

“I’m shamed to speak of it. The old leader, Master Hori was a terrible man who refused to give up. So I… poisoned his hotdog. God rest his weary bones.”

“Which are now under control of Aluben.” Reilicaf reminded.

“Does that mean someone else’s running the White Lotus in Posiverse?”

“Yes.” Ydnew replied, wearing a green necklace that was Yeoj’s new form. “Actually, he’s-”

“He doesn’t wish us to speak of him, Ydnew.” her father informed.

“R-Right…” Ydnew frowned, her last meeting with her Positive still haunting her.

“I’m just wondering, ’cause if you guys turned good, wouldn’t that mean the White Lotus turns… bad?” Nerehc asked curiously.

“I have doubts about their leader’s style.” Itaav answered. “We try to understand each other, but he concerns me so much…”

Finally they arrived at the tree-stump where Nerehc’s sword remained lodged. Its white glow was faded, making it look like black, withered stone. “Doubt I’ll get much good from that. Never knew what was so great about the thing to begin with.”

“Oh, the Devil’s Sword has always been powerful.” Yevrah said. “It always contained a little bit of Demise, but after his destruction, a core part of it has gone missing. If we get that core back, its power will be yours again.”

“We believe that Demise imbued a kind of revival magic inside the sword.” Raseac explained in his halfhearted tone. “That power was conserved for a long time so he may revive the abandoned souls of the Negaverse. Revive them in the hatred which consumed them and fed demons.”

“My girlfriend told me about a Grand Inferius.” Nerehc recounted. “Is that…”

“No, I met my Positive once, and he found it in a Japanese book.” Yevrah informed. “The Grand one requires a lot more complicated steps and the zombies would be unstoppable. What Demise did was make a grand-scale normal Inferius.”

“Huh… hate to see the real one.”

“Now, the missing core of the Devil’s Sword is the sword’s soul itself. Boy, do you know that mask you showed me on Christmas?”

“Yeah, you took it?”

“It looked familiar and I was examining it,” Yevrah pulled the white, smiling mask up, “I think it’s the core we’ve been looking for. If you would… place it on the sword.”

Nerehc walked up and withdrew the cold, dark sword from the stump. Confused about all of this, he placed the mask on the hilt. …Its empty eyes glowed white, the whole mask following as the sword exploded a blinding light. He squinted his eyes, the sunglasses partially blocking, and as the light increased in size, the Black Lotus shielded their selves. (Play Ghirahim’s Theme from _Zelda: Skyward Sword_.)

A silvery-white figure was kneeled on the spot, his back facing them. The slim, posh figure turned to them with purple-edged dark eyes, a bang of white hair over his left, pointed ears with diamond earrings, and diamond patterns along his body with a gold waistband with a red jewel. The man stared at them for several longing moments, as if awaiting an explanation or trying to understand. His gaze shifted everywhere, before going down at Nerehc. He then stared at his hands, his eyes trembling as he boiled with psychotic rage. “My MASTER. ……Wheeeeere is my MASTEEEEEERRRR?” He grabbed Nerehc by the shirt and held him against the ground.

“…I am your master.” Nerehc told him sternly. “My mom absorbed what’s left of him and now he’s inside of me.”

Ghirahim’s eyes widened, taken aback in shock. He released and backed away slowly, consumed in deep fear. “My… Master…” He turned away and sunk to his knees. “This can’t be. My Ma-aste-er.” He gave the sensation of crying, though no tears fell. “Reduced to mortals… where have we come… where have we…”

“SERVAAAAANT of darkness! Know where thine place LIIIEEES.” Reilicaf sang, raising a Cross. “The rule that was Demise has since ended. He walks in this boy’s shoes.”

“This boyyyy.” Ghirahim faced Nerehc with a wicked smirk. “Has he the gusto to call himself Master?” He licked his lips. “Will he really stand so different from Lehcar? Follow darkness and evils?”

“…Actually… no I’m not.”

“Then how DARE YOU MOCK ME!!” Ghirahim clutched his shoulders and started shaking. “You who carry the legacy of Hatred, INSULT him with a PURE SOOOOUUL?!”

“My soul isn’t pure. I have as much anger and hate as anyone else in this godless world.”

“Really?” Ghirahim smirked, getting to his eye-level. “With what?”

“The way that everybody keeps hating each other. The fact we can never see the sun. The fact that a soulless, spiteful person out there is ABUSING millions of souls!!”

“Hnn.” Ghira gritted teeth. “How typical.”

“How did you get in that mask?”

“Ohhh, I was so enjoying myself, finally reunited with my master, our energies finally as one. But the moment he was destroyed, I was returned to my _gorgeous_ body. Weakened… ill… I wanted to return to my sword… but nay… that hideous human with all the masks… played an atrocious song… and sealed me inside that mask! And now, even as I stand here in the diamond… I feel so empty inside. What… is this hollow feeling?”

“If I am given to understand, you have a longing for your former master.” Yevrah intervened. “Perhaps you want to see him again.”

“Hnnnn. And I suppose a simple God-follower like yourself is going to help me?”

“Help yourself. Help Nerehc. You can help him get in touch with his soul. The Devil exists inside him the same as it did Ganondorf, and Nerehc possesses his power. Once Nerehc is in tune, he can use it.”

“So that’s what this is about.” Nerehc deduced. “Alright then, let’s do it.”

“Hold on, boy! This ain’t just some spirit, this _Satan_ here!” Yevrah spoke cautiously. “When you get in touch with him, he will try to control you. You must use every ounce of strength to maintain yourself while using his powers. I am an Exorcist, a spiritual expert who banishes and controls evil beings who’ve infiltrated a soul. I’ll keep you under control when you’re fighting him, but you have to handle part of the work, too. His powers will be the only means of destroying what Aluben’s become. Are you ready?”

“…Yes. But you guys…” Nerehc glared at Ydnew, “I want you to go up to DNKG H.Q. and teach those aliens a lesson. Save any captured operative up there. Will you do that for me?”

She nodded, as did Nil and Niyus. “Right.”

“Mmm hnn hnn, okay.” Ghirahim smirked, facing Nerehc with hands ready. “We’ll just see how long you LAST!” The moment he touched Nerehc’s head and chest, a light encased them. (End song.)

Nerehc was standing in darkness, a dim purple glow on his body as faint violet flames burned in the distance. _“So… I see you have finally decided to visit us.”_ A thundering, imperial voice spoke.

 ** _“How long we have been cooped inside here… suffocating.”_** A demonic, more sinister voice spoke.

“Hu!” Nerehc gaped. The embodiments of hatred and evil their selves stood before him, towering high. All… one of them.

Demise and Malladus Uno shared a single, two-headed body, various parts of their skin black or blue, and shared each other’s body parts. “YOU’RE FUSED TOGETHER?!?” Nerehc screamed.

“Yyyyyyeah… after he absorbed my power, this kind of… happened.” Malladus said with shame.

 ** _“Being of my position, I wouldn’t mind the pole-position.”_** said Satan. **_“But this is torture beyond repair.”_**

“Wow, you guys… look so hilarious right now, I’m sorry.”

 _“Well… at least it’s not all of me.”_ Malladus replied. _“Part of me still exists in my descendants, that Cherry boy for instance. …’Tis disgrace to the Uno name.”_

_**“But more importantly, what the** _ **devil _took Ghirahim so long?”_**

“He was a little… tied up.”

**_“Oh, whatever. At least we were able to get contact with you. Now… if you don’t mind-”_ **

Nerehc drew his sword, “Oh I DO mind. You’re going to lend me more of your power, and I’m using it to stop Aluben.”

“HEH hehr hah. The DEMON Kings lending a single mortal their power? You are one to humor, Boy… but once your soul is ours, we will have control. The glory that is MALLADUS will rise again! …With special back-up.” He smirked at his other half.

Demise glared. _**“Oh, the second we take this kid’s body, I am KICKING you out.”**_

_“Oh, it’s a pleasure for me to let a king so uncannily feeble roam around in a mortal’s bones. Why, I wouldn’t be surprised if you wanted to suck on one’s face.”_

_**“You’d be no different from ME, you thieving-!”** _

“Uhhhh… guys?” They looked at Nerehc. “We’re supposed to be fighting?”

 _“…”_ They exchanged glances. _“Right.”_ The battle immediately began, both devils lunging forward to smash a fist down at Nerehc, who dodged aside and blocked a punch using his sword. They used combined heat vision that zoomed up the ground, Nerehc dodging and flying with rocket shoes as he dodged their swift punches like a fly. He charged lightning in his fingers and struck Malladus’s face, and when Demise tried to focus and punch him, Nerehc flew between the heads and tricked the demon into punching his successor. Malladus grabbed and choked Demise’s neck, but remembering Nerehc as he flew by, they tried to chase, only to realize Nerehc tied their tail around the legs so they’d trip. They escaped and released furious beams of fire, but when Nerehc dodged, they zipped over and punched Nerehc away.

Outside, Nerehc’s mouth was struck open, a light swallowing his circular eyes while Ghirahim kept touch on his chest and head. “The two souls (actually three) which share his body are now fighting for control. Soon, Master, you will be free…” He licked his lips.

“Not if I got somethin’ to say.” Reilicaf stated, sticking Crosses in a circle in the ground.

“…What’s that?” Itaav spoke, hearing a vast, eerie moan. A cloud of dust was coming from the distant mountains, ghostly blue auras inside them. As they drew nearer, the Lotus members realized they were reanimated corpses, glowing black and yellow eyes in their sockets.

“Those skeletons! They must’ve come from Aluben’s body!” Little Aunt gasped.

“But this way, she can be in multiple places at once.” Ydnew realized. “We have to-”

“No.” Itaav stopped her. “You kids need to go to DNKG Headquarters and save Nerehc’s friends. Leave this to the adults. Ydnew, only your spacebending can get them there.”

“…” Ydnew wasn’t comfortable leaving her father behind, a man she had come to respect better, but the forces looked formidable. “Okay.”

Yeoj slid off her neck and morphed into a spacecraft built for three. Ydnew, Nil, and Niyus climbed into the cockpit. “Let’s go.” The ship shot off into the stars as Ydnew focused energy, and they warped.

The Black Lotus members charged forward as Itaav raised the earth with his matterbending and rolled it toward the corpses like a carpet. Raseac pulled out a potted plant, spun around, and stretched it into a huge thick vine that he blasted forward to punch them away. Little Aunt raised two large syringes with pink toxin, controlling said poison through the vials as they flew around and sliced the corpses like swords. They proved formidable against the corpses, but the undead beings showed no signs of quitting. Meanwhile, the fight was even more dramatic inside Nerehc’s own body; he was still on the outside, but a titanic clash of power internal.

**Somewhere in Aixalag**

The spacecraft appeared somewhere barren, Ydnew once again having to regain herself after exerting such power. “Huff… Oitnemid said these were the coordinates his planet used to be located. That’s why his niece would’ve created a base here. You sure you’re okay, Yeoj?”

Eyes and a mouth appeared on the control deck. _“Yeah, ’long as I don’t have me lungs. We better find that place soon.”_

“I don’t SEE anything!” Nil shook furiously. “Where are we, Ihs?”

 _“Just dead space, Master…”_ her shadow responded.

“Just help keep an eye out, girls- er, shadows.” Ydnew told them. “As soon as those aliens know we’re coming, the sooner they’ll-”

A string of lasers rained from above and struck the right wing. _“They’ll give us the welcome fire. Also, OOOOWWWWW!”_ Yeoj screamed.

“Put on your helmets, girls!” Ydnew ordered, putting on an air helmet and warping herself to the ship’s roof. Psiw were swarming from all directions as Ydnew threw Starbursts rapidly, creating Space Blocks when lasers threatened to strike the cockpit. A string of Psiw that formed a great long spaceworm whirled toward them, threatening to tie and crush the ship, so Ydnew snapped her fingers rapidly to warp each one. “Where’s their base?!”

“I dunno, but Ihs says there’s a BIG and SCARY _TREE_ up there.” Nil pointed.

“That IS the base, Dummy!” Us yelled.

Ydnew gasped. Hovering right above their heads was a tremendous, mechanical tree, its metal branches hanging to the side designed dead, leafless, and it bore the cold, grey color of a gravestone. Another laser shot Yeoj, Ydnew almost falling from the shake. _“You are NOT boosting my self-confidence any!!”_

“We have to get inside there!”

_“If I take another shot, MY insides will pop out!”_

“Grrrrr!”

Far ahead, an Ice Psiw charged and released a huge sphere of ice, Ydnew raising a Block with all her strength in the hopes it would block. A blast from an alternate source destroyed it, allowing Ydnew to conserve strength. The four of them looked up and gaped at the oncoming fleet of Nimbi ships.

 _“Naipyks Daring New Kids, destroy them all!”_ Ibsej declared. Within seconds, dark ships with steel angel wings clashed with the tiny Psiw, cluttering the space like a cloud of angry locusts. _“We’re giving you a chance to go in, hurry up!”_

“Yeoj, take us in!” Ydnew ordered bravely.

 _“Takin’ a ride on_ your _back once we’re in.”_ The ship said angrily as it somersaulted up and into the landing bay.

**Prison branch**

Various DNKG sectors who refused surrender were captured and locked inside electrical barriers. “W-W-W-Whaddyou think’s gonna happen to us?” Sirhc stuttered.

“Probably going to carve out our bones and eat them.” AlyakAm replied.

“The marrow always sounded pretty tasty.” Egroeg followed.

The base shook slightly as screams and scrambling of troops were heard down the hall. “What are they doing out there?” Ennael asked.

“I dunno, but I reckon we’re about to become noble sacrifices.” Nollid said.

“…” Sipa glanced at Ininap, who was on her knees in prayer. “Oh, please don’t tell me…”

“Ay’m praying for the gods to help us.”

“You see—the whole idea of God is what got us IN this mess! Face it, the gods don’t care about us, they threw us down here so they wouldn’t have to pay attention, now the only excuse of a god we have is building an army of dead people, I challenge you to name ONE convenient thing your praying can bring us in the next 10-”

“QUICK, hide me!” Emorej suddenly rushed in and dove into a trashcan. A gang of Psiw glided in, searched around for a brief second, then flew away like lazy guards. Emorej climbed out and started to type codes into the cell’s terminals. “This invasion was pretty convenient. I’m going to get you all out of here.”

Ininap passed a sheepish “I told you so” grin to Sipa, who snapped her teeth and made the former cower. “And you’re betraying your sister becaaauuuuse?”

“Mmmm… I didn’t know how far Aluben would take this. I was always against this whole empire scheme, but I had to help her ’cause she and Mom kept bonebending me. Everyone is mean to me too, and now it’s only going to get worse. If I had to choose, well… I’d rather die with you guys either way.”

“Aluben said her dad was an emotionbender. Does that mean you…?” Sipa inquired.

“…” Emorej whimpered. “He is, but…but I don’t have ANY bending! WHUUUUUUUHHHH!”

“OKAAY!” He was startled by Sipa’s shout, silencing him. “Just get us out.”

As soon as he imprinted codes in the whole prison wing, he pressed a switch at the end to disable all barriers. “We’re eternally grateful for braving the dangers to get those codes!” Ynohtna saluted.

“Actually, um… somebody hijacked one of the ships and stole the codes for me.” The boy blushed.

The moment he was released, a whiff hit Nosam’s nose, and immediately he knew. “!! Do you mean… it’s my…”

“Hey, everybody! Who’s ready to head home!” the familiar voice announced cheerily.

“LORAAAAAAC!” Nosam zipped to the end of the hall in half a second. She smiled humorously while stretching her foot forward to hold him back. “My-dearest-I-knew-you’d-come-here-dearest-Lorac-never-abandons-us-never-abandon-me!”

“I’d turn him into a frog if I had my wand.” Nollid said.

“Which is why I so happened to find the room where they were keeping all your stuff and stuff it in this.” Lorac raised her Infi-Cube, pushed the button, and let dozens of items fly out. Yddam recovered her Fishman gloves, Ahcniea her surgeon supplies, Ynned’s baseball and bat, and Nollid’s wand.

“…Where’s mine?” Sipa asked, unable to find her wand.

“That’s… all I found in there, I wouldn’t know.” Lorac replied.

“Come on, let’s just get outta here!” Ikuyim yelled.

More Psiw were coming as Yllas and Yevrah threw their tops forward, holding onto them with strings while blades emerged on their sides and knocked the minions out of the air. “Kudos on your Positives for the idea!” Ynohtna noted. Wave after wave of Psiw came, but proved no match to the dozens of loyal Earthlings. Finally, they made it to the central chamber outside.

“If I remember correctly,” Yrrah began in his geeky voice, “the exact route we were taken up is-” Before they had any chance of going forward, they were forcibly brought to their knees.

A line of merkids floated in their wake using bubble floaties, Annaira behind them as they held the kids in their bloodbending. “If I AM correct, the best route your knees should follow is… at the angle.” She stated cruelly. “Just past the archway of your arms… and the spiral stairway of your neck.”

Their arms were tied behind them, and no matter how much they tried to resist, their necks were close to twisting. The only one who showed any effort was Nosam, who remained firm in a squat, his arms raised but not tied, and his teeth gritted as he kept his head straight. “Hmph. Maybe an extra PUSH.” Annaira grabbed him, the boy flinching as he almost forced into position.

“Huuuuuuuuhhhh!” Even with two blood grips, Nosam kept resisting. “I have something that’s… more powerful than… bloodbending…”

“Oh, of course. He’s a waterbender too, isn’t he.” Anna recalled.

“Not just… I-I have… tears… Tears…” Seeing Lorac struggling on the ground, neck threatening to snap, gave Nosam all the power he needed, “OF LOVE!” Faster than they came, Nosam shot upright and yanked two streams of tears from his eyes.

“TEARBENDING? EWWWWW.” groaned the merkids.

Nosam turned them into two long whips and swung them against the merkids. Sicnarf leapt over and started dealing Haki punches against them. “Secure this whole place! It’ll make escaping all the easier!” On his cue, the dozens of operatives hurried separate directions.

After her merkids were brutally attacked, Annaira escaped down an alternate hallway full of pipes, hiding behind one when she heard footsteps rushing. “Hcaz, shouldn’t we just find a way out?” Yddam panted. “Those people outside might blow us up.”

“If what they said about Aluben is true, going back to Earth won’t really matter. We can try to make a difference by taking out these-” Once again, they were forced into a kneeling position.

“You should’ve listened to her. Because…” Annaira stepped out, “I’m your worst enemy at the moment. Hwhy do you think I’m Aluben’s Number Negative One, mm hm hm hm hm!”

“Why don’t you loosen your grip a little and fight us yours-AAAAHH!” Hcaz’s back was bent at an angle, followed by an abrupt angling of his left hip before Annaira bounced him between both walls and dropped him on the ground.

“Hmm, yes… but this feels so much easier.”

“I’ll bet it does… because you’re a coward.” Yddam grunted through her struggle.

“I beg pardon?” Anna smiled inquiringly.

“Bloodbending is a… really high-level move. You have… cool powers… that I always wanted. If I had waterbending, I…I’d want to make the most use out of it, not use the same power, over and over. But you’re just… afraid to fight directly. That’s why it’s easier… to control people. Coward.”

“You call _me_ a coward? What have you got to show? You would never last against me in a normal fight.”

“Or maybe you know about my Fishman Karate. I have something to use against you. Suddenly, I… make you afraid. Because you just can’t… fight by yourself.”

Annaira glared, releasing her Blood Grasp. “You want a fair fight? Fine. Fishman Karate, the normal’s mean of substituting bending, versus the real thing. I’ll fight to the fairest of my strength!” Waving her arms, Anna popped open the valves on the pipes and surrounded herself in a ring of water. Yddam fixed her Fishman gloves on tight.

_“I found a book about Element Arts. It said even though people aren’t born with element chi, everyone has Personal Chi that can be mixed with the elements if they move and meditate like benders.” Sirhc explained that Christmas. “So people can learn martial arts that mimic element bending.”_

_“I know. That’s what I read about Fishman Karate.”_

_“So, I got these gloves because their moist feel help people learn Fishman Karate better. I guess because it’s better to be wet a lot; I thought you might wanna use them.”_

_“Thanks, Sirhc. I think I will.”_

Yddam folded her hands and closed her eyes. A misty scent was in the air, leaking from the pipes, cooling her hands through the gloves. She punched her knuckles, forcing out two gushes of water, and punched forward, sending blast after blast at Annaira, who shielded with her wall. Anna sent double cyclones at Yddam, who dodged left and ran at Anna to punch, but her fist came in contact with Hcaz’s face when Anna yanked him over. “HEY! You said you would fight fair!”

“I’m fighting fair by not bloodbending you.” Anna corrected. “Now I’m using strategy.” Yddam dodged Hcaz’s forced punches, running back and punching her arms to send water blasts at Anna, who used Hcaz as a shield again. “You’re going to kill me, Yddam.” he grunted.

**With Sector ZR**

“Where d’you think this leads?” Ynned asked as the team followed a hallway full of wires and machinery.

“Judging by the increasing amounts of metal and robots, this is the power station, but as lots of cords appear to be rerouted in this direction, I can only presume much of the energy is being focused to one room, possibly to give extra power to Atnort as he is a lightningbender, so we’ll no doubt have to face him.” Atawid summarized.

“As calculating as always.” Eel Nosyarg proclaimed, trapping them inside a ball of metal panels he rose from the floor. However, Atawid evaded capture.

“I also presumed, this area being rich in metal, Eel would ambush us, though by not mentioning and leading him to suspect us, it was easy to avoid his trap and throw this.” She chucked Ynned’s baseball at Eel’s head, bouncing back and distracting him while Ennael broke open the metal trap.

“We’ll take care of this.” Ennael said as Ynned and Atawid continued forward.

The duo arrived at an otherwise dark room with many towers with electrical spheres on top. “Welcome to the Power Station!” Atnort declared from the center. “Home of-”

“I already deduced the general vicinity and who we’d be fighting.” Atawid said.

“SHUT UP! I heard o’ you from Eel’s reports, Atawid the Human Calculator. You’re good at deducing outcomes and patterns, but you don’t last in a REAL fight, huh!”

“I will not be fighting. Ynned will destroy you and I will watch from the background.”

“WHAT?!” the boy panicked.

“Good luck!” Atnort retorted. “No matter how much calculating you do, lightning is swift and unpredictable. I’m right here, but I might go-” He zapped to their left and struck a blast at Ynned.

“I leave this to you, Ynned.” Atawid retreated against the wall.

“YOU’RE USELESS!”

“Better stay on guard!” Atnort summoned a bolt from one of the spheres to Ynned, the boy dodging hurriedly.

**With Sector -W7**

The team of five hurried down an almost barren hallway, except for the steadily increasing amount of toxic gas. “Sipa, can’t you give me another one of those potions?” Asia asked, trying to protect with a huge air bubble.

“Not without my wand.” she informed.

Three waves of oil were thrown into the bubble, Asia quickly stopping it so it didn’t slosh around, but were forced to hold their breath as a brownish-green fog consumed them. “I’m about sick of you guys.” Yenmihc said, she and Ebnog wearing gas masks. “I’ll take pleasure in poisoning you all.”

Asia blasted a powerful air gust and expanded a bubble to blow the gas away. “Not unless we clean you first.”

“You don’t think I brought back-up? Get ‘em, fatsos.” The hall began trembling as a stampede of Nainozama stormed forward, ready to trample them. Asia blasted air gusts while Lirpa leaped around and kicked, causing efficient damage to the giants.

Sipa would take no part in it, however, escaping down an alternate passage. _I’m useless without my wand. Satan-sama, I know this is your means of torturing me, but I wish to let myself suffer further by disobeying your will. If I can see Nerehc again, I’ll pay you a thousand souls, maybe more._

As if by a stroke of luck, Sipa found a chamber with a vault that was clear open. “Was this where Lorac said she found everything? If it is, she could’ve left my wand in here after all.”

“No. She didn’t.” The vault slowly closed, as Ynnad Noskcaj threw off his cloak. “I kept it for myself.” He crossed two wands in an X, and Sipa plainly noticed the left one:

“HEY, that’s my wand!”

“Wood from the Tree of Ending, 10 inches, and devil’s tail for a core. Very nice, very nice. But you know that when you make a deal with the Devil, it’ll BITE YOU.” He aimed Sipa’s wand and used Crucio.

“AAAAAAAHHHHH!” Sipa was writhing in pain, a pastime she always enjoyed doing to others. Now that her own wand was being used against her, the unbearable pain now directed at her…

“All you Satanists is why the Negaverse is so dark; why we had to rely on Aluben to give us a better world, people like you who admire Nerehc… may every soul you tortured return their due. Legilimens!”

_A wave of memories washed over her, starting with the day her grandpa first bought her wand at 5 years old. “Crucio!” The first spell she wanted to use on the neighbor’s puppy. “Crucio!” Her wand aimed at a snoozing baby in a stroller. “Imperio!” She brainwashed a random boy. “Go stab your sister’s cat.” “Haha!” Then came the Jelly-Leg Curse on a feeble old lady. On the day a couple got married, she turned the man into a woman. When an athlete was about to finish a 500-mile marathon, she turned him into an ant and crushed him. When a hospital helicopter was transferring a sick child over, she threw the Reducto and blew it to pieces. She then attended a college graduation, and the last one to walk up and receive his diploma, she let an Avada Kedavra slip._

She would pay for every soul she tortured, every tear she shed. She knew, from the very first time, her soul was bound for eternity of punishment. The pain she was knowing right now, irreparable and internally scarring… what pain awaited her when she went to that world.

“That’s enough.” A magical shield appeared between her and Ynnad. Both looked as Nollid entered the room. “You caused quite a bit of pain yourself, Ynnad. Betraying your sister for that witch.”

“And that’s next to the crimes THIS girl has done?!”

Nollid looked at Sipa, who still appeared traumatized from the pain. “I won’t lie… Sipa’s irredeemable, and probably shouldn’t have her wand back at all. But can you honestly say that Aluben is any different?”

“At least she’s TRYING to make a difference! With all DNKs united, no one fighting one-another, our universe can finally be peaceful.”

“It sounds good when you say it that way… but Aluben kinda screwed up with the army of dead guys thing, so no.” Nollid blasted swift stunning spells that Ynnad blocked, and the magic battle started.

**Team Ynohtna**

“YAAAH!” Aenara flew forward and kicked Yllas away, swiftly dodging Yevrah’s top afterward before kicking off the wall and into him. Being as tall as she was, Aen was never one to be stealthy and just liked going at her enemies head-to-head, and she wouldn’t hesitate to show this with her former teammates.

“You can do it, friends!” Ynohtna cheered from the background. “Remember, it’s spirit that wins battles, not just strength!”

_“THEN GET OVER HERE AND HELP!”_

“Strength also plays a factor, and I don’t have it!”

“Wow, aren’t you a real wuss.” a squeaky voice said from behind. Ynohtna turned, finding little tiny Beewv glaring at him.

“Well, hello little guy! I know we’re on opposing sides, but would you like to be friends?” As a response, Beewv raised his swords, zipped to Ynohtna’s shoes, and started stabbing through, making the human jump. “Hey-! Hey-! Ow! Ow!”

“Think you’re a big MAN, tryin’ to show mercy to the little guy?? WELL, I’LL SHOW YOU MERCY! AAAAAAHHHHH!” Faster than Ynohtna could keep track, Beewv began zipping to every corner of his body, tiny tears in clothing the only trace of his being there.

Ynohtna panted once Beewv stopped to rest. “Wow, you’re really tough. But I’m a boy of no violence, so I will defeat you without even raising a fist!”

“YOU SAYING YOU’RE TOUGHER THAN ME?! Well, LET’S DANCE!” So another onslaught of slashes came.

**Lower quarters**

Ydnew had infiltrated the base and was splorping every Nairuomolg she came across, Yeoj in the form of a red hat on her head. “It sounds like the prisoners already escaped. Stay close to me girls, we’ll-” The brief moment she turned around, she realized she wasn’t being followed. “Nil? Niyus? Where did they go?”

“Oh, Nil got curious and Us chased her down another hallway ’bout 10 minutes ago.” Yeoj replied.

“And you didn’t TELL me?!”

“I’m your cap, not your eyes.”

Angered, Ydnew threw the Metamorpher on the floor and stomped him. “Whoooa!” She was immediately blown away by a Psycho Sphere, quickly warping back to place before it exploded.

“I’ve been observing your behavior during your visit to Dnaleci.” Yrret informed, floating to the floor. “And I must say, if this is your true appearance, I DON’T approve.”

“Well, why don’t you go suck a lollipop, Loser?”

“No cavities for me, thanks. I’d much rather a shot at administering discipline.”

“That’s not your business!” Ikuyim announced before kicking Yrret around the side from behind. “A child’s discipline must be left to the parents. Which reminds me.” She turned to Ydnew and bowed humbly. “I’m very sorry for interfering with your business. I was only trying to help.”

Since Ydnew herself banished Ikuyim to another dimension, ergo she should be the one apologizing, this girl confused her. “You remind me of a certain twerp I know.”

“Harumf!” Yrret recovered. “If you ladies insist on roughhousing, I’ll have to administer full force, yyyYES SIR-reeeee!” He lunged forward in flight.

“Let’s whup his butt!” Ydnew exclaimed, Space Blocking him.

“Right!” Ikuyim nodded determinedly.

**Dark corridors**

“It’s too daaaaarrrk! I can’t see, Uuuuus!” Nil whined.

“Our shadows can’t see either, all the lights are out! HELLOOOOO?”

_“Never cared much for light. Don’t need it.”_

“What’d you say?” Nil asked.

“Wasn’t me.”

_“You scared? Don’t worry. I’ll make it all end.”_

“DWAAAAH!” The girls ducked when gunshots rained everywhere around them.

Avakam blew the smoke out. “My antenna detects the vibration of your footsteps. I don’t need to see to know where you are. To know where to… shoot you.”

“Watch out, Niiiil!” Us screamed, pulling her sister down as bullets flew again.

“When to shoot, when to shoot… that’s the hunter’s way. There’s no fun like hunter’s play… before she finally takes her prey.” She continued blasting random directions, making the girls cower.

**Realm of Shadows**

Arorua’s bones were back inside her body, and areas where her flesh was ruptured were bandaged. “To achieve ourselves immortal… we concentrated all of our chi into our bones… to keep our souls bound to them.” Oitnemid spoke hoarsely, a grey white energy flowing from his hands over his patient. “The bones are that which bind the soul to flesh, powered by the heart, but we have worked around that. Ages after the soul leaves, the bones become soil, and breathe life to the earth. Any chi that existed within them helps the world grow. …We have long denied our bones that chance.”

“But aren’t you afraid of… dying?”

“Living or dying… is all a risky process. No matter who it is, a child’s soul will always be bound for the Spirit World should they pass before their time. Their minds are undeveloped, innocent. Adults, however… become more aware of their decisions as they get older. Their soul may be tarnished, conducting unforgivable sins. However… the exact opposite may happen. Their deeds can be unforgettable. A soul must always know what it means to live. Child… these bones of yours are precious. I will use the last of my chi so that your soul may continue to be healthy- uu-uuh!” He sunk.

“Ointment!” Arorua gasped.

He smiled assuringly. “I’m fine.” With that, he returned to healing. “I will finally know how an old man feels… when his bones give out.”

“But where’ll you end up? Negatives’ souls aren’t taken by Reapers…”

“True… I might end up consumed in hate like those thousands of others. There are souls out there, I know… who are also pure. They live the afterlife as they had their mortal life: joy, pain, sadness. And with those they loved… to be a soul is to live, not wonder where we’ll go in the end. Live… uuuuhhh.” He slumped again.

“Mister…”

Oitnemid smiled and resumed. “Just knowing a child like you… at the end of my life… lifts my soul to no end.”

Arorua coughed a small chuckle, lying peacefully on the table while shadows watched them through the holes. It was so lovely… how fast her pain was subsiding. All of it…

**DNKG H.Q.**

Ynned frantically ran around the towers as lightning struck everywhere, keeping a sharp eye wherever Atnort might be, and when he saw the crippled alien above a tower, he flew his baseball forth. When it struck the electric sphere, a surge of lightning struck Ynned painfully. “EEUUUUHHH!”

“Hah hah ha!” Atnort zipped. “Lightning is everywhere!” Warped. “Lightning is unceasing!” Again. “Lightning is FIERCE!” Back to where he was. “Let’s see if you can dodge this.” He sent power to all towers, letting blinding beams of blue lightning skim around everywhere.

Ynned covered his head while he ran, knowing he’d get struck eventually, but just afraid when it would come. Finally a beam got him, his body flashing furiously before they all ceased. Atnort zipped there and there, kicking Ynned’s soot-covered body everywhere. “A-Atawi-i-id… he-elp me-e…”

“Your brain is more expendable than mine, you are the worthy choice for this fight.”

Ynned aimlessly swung his bat in the hopes of hitting his opponent, but Atnort was faster and wiser, striking him from every direction. He got between two poles and attracted the lightning to his tentacles, wiggling them forward as mini bolts struck, which Ynned dodged. He then smashed his hands to the floor and sent a powerful electric current, stunning Ynned to great extent before Atnort punched him away.

Outside, Eel was controlling the deactivated robots with his bending and smashing their fists at Ennael, while the latter controlled her own and clashed with them. “Ulul, I could use some help here!”

Her friend stared intently at a potted plant in her hand, softly waving her hand above it. “Now now, growing a plant takes time, even plantbenders have to get it just right.”

“Ahhh, metal and unnatural habitats. No wonder plantbenders were so useless.” Eel said smugly. He sent three robots to push down one of Ennael’s, who dodged around before they fell and crushed her, only to end up trapped in a floor panel Eel rose. Ulul’s plant was in the budding process, and while the leaves hung to the side, the flower was closed and growing.

**Pumping room**

Yddam kept several feet from Annaira while the latter was sending wave after wave, and when Yddam tried to send waves back, Hcaz served as a shield. “Put him down!” she yelled, dodging water gushes from the side.

“Hm hm, what are you going to do!” Anna arose two large worms of water and lunged them for Yddam, who raised both hands and held them back with all her strength. She clutched the worms tight and lashed down, splattering them as Anna was blinded by the droplets, allowing Yddam to flip over with a whirling water-slice. Anna stepped back and defended, pushing away other gushes Yddam sent before grabbing the girl in her Blood Grasp.

“HUUU!” Yddam was forced to her knees, and Anna attempted to twist her body. Yddam fought the control and kicked her shoe off to Anna’s face, and during that weakened moment, Yddam punched four consecutive gushes before running forward and punching Anna in the neck.

“Uuuck-!” Anna choked on her own scream, blood droplets flying out as she tumbled backwards. Angered, she attempted to grab Yddam, but when unable to, the latter sent her back with another gush. “Uuuh-HUAK. Why can’t I…”

“I read books about bending, you know.” Yddam informed. “Bloodbenders focus their chi in the neck. You won’t be using it, anymore.”

“Did you forget I still have my normal bending? ?” Anna spun together another water ring and sent random gushes that Yddam countered. Yddam dove headfirst into the wall, Torpedo Spun, and bashed Annaira into a soggy room with more pipes. “I would say you pushed me to this.” she retorted before pulling more water to her will and spinning a cyclone below her. She began chasing Yddam using her dangerous perch, aiming to shred her.

**Viewing walkway**

Yrret encased himself in a psychic bubble and bounced around, Ydnew creating a Space Block to push him back. “Can’t you do anything?!” she yelled at Ikuyim.

“Not unless I have earth.”

Ydnew glanced around annoyedly, realizing a huge glass wall lay over the walkway, meteors floating outside among the warring ships. “Not earth, but I have space.” Ydnew focused and decreased the size of a meteor before warping it beside them. Ikuyim lifted and sent it at Yrret with her bending, then followed with more meteors that Ydnew summoned. Anger fueled Yrret as he exploded a barrier to blow the meteors away, then threw Psycho Spheres against Ydnew’s Starbursts.

**Dark room**

“Uuuuuhhhh-uuuuuhhhh-uuhh-” Nil reached an arm- “EEEEE!” placed it back on her head when Avakam shot, both girls shuddering. “Whaddo we do, Us?”

“Hm hm hm.” Avakam smirked in the darkness. “The moment I feel your vibrations kick up, the moment I shoot. Theeeere theeeeere, lit-tle shadoooowwws. Cooooome to Aviiiiieee.”

“Darn it, we can’t move, and our shadows can’t see if no light is making shadows.” Us whispered.

“I don’t wanna die, Us.”

“Come on, Ruh, do something.”

“Yes, Ihs, pleeeaaase.”

Both shadows exchanged glances (or meant to) and left their masters. They made nary a sound, but glided around aimlessly in search for the hunter. Wherever she was, the darkness concealed her well, and the shadows ended up flying for the exit. They soared all around the walls of the base for anything that might help.

**Stair shaft**

“Nnn, nnn! STOP moving and FIGHT!” Beewv whined, trying his hardest to slice the quick-moving Ynohtna.

“I shall fight without raising a fist!” the boy beamed, hands behind his back. “Instead I shall raise my feet, away from you!”

“YaaaAAAH!” Yllas and Yevrah were riding kid-size tops with blades on the edges, Aenara leaping to kick them off, then balanced on both tops’ handles.

“Back right atcha, shorties!” The kids ran as Aen chased them, during which she rolled the left top up along the wall using the blades, then slammed it down in their path to knock them off their feet.

“If I had my mom’s fearbending, I’d teach her a lesson!” Yllas said fiercely.

“Well, ya don’t! So get ready to be spliced!” Both kids dove aside and over the edge, Yllas grabbing Yevrah with her legs and hovering briefly with her sleeves. Aenara skimmed around the wall via the tops’ blades, grabbed the handles, and leapt with a venomous grin to splice the twins.

**Toxic hall**

Asia kept a large bubble blowing to scare away Nainozama, but a few braved the dangers and broke through, grabbing her like a birdie and slamming her against the floor. “Aaahh!” One of the giantesses started flailing her arms ragingly and bashing her teammates, for Ahcniea latched onto a nervous point below her neck and pierced it with mega-frequency needles to remove her of self-control. At the same time, Lirpa succeeded in wrapping legs around the neck of a Nainozama, forcing her to charge around like an angry bull and trample others. Hers and Ahcniea’s girls were coming for each other, and with a mighty collision, their heads met before falling dizzy.

Ardnusyrhc, the Nainozama leader, wanted to get away from the violence, so she found her way to a closet with crates and metal barrels. “Siiigh…?” She noticed the lid of one of the crates was slanted, so she crept over, curious. There was a little eye peering at her from its darkness, and when Ardnus raised the lid, Ahcom was shuddering. “Oh… hello.”

“Eeeeep! D-Don’t hurt me!” Ahcom braced for cover.

“O-… I’m sorry.” Ardnus picked her up gently. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. What are you doing here?”

“I’m… hiding from the scary stuff. I don’t like fighting.”

“It’s okay. I don’t like fighting either.” She smiled warmly. “I’m not very strong.”

“But you’re big.”

“I know… but, I’m just so afraid of getting hurt. I joined Aluben so she wouldn’t hurt me anymore.”

“Aluben is mean. Why does she like hurting people?”

“I don’t know. …Are those your friends out there?”

“Yes. Are those yours?”

“Yes. I’m only hiding because you guys are tough.”

“That’s why I’m hiding.”

“…Hehehehehehehe!” They blushed and giggled at the irony. “My name is Ahcom.”

“I’m Ardnusyrhc. Call me Ardnus.”

“Hi, Ardnus. Do you wanna be friends?”

“Okay.”

“Great. …Will you help us beat Yenmihc?”

“Um… okay. Do you wanna see something cool I can do?”

“What?”

**Vault room**

Spells flew left and right between the two opponents; Nollid’s head became a baby’s, Ynnad became a cuckoo-clock, he sent a snake at him, Nollid made flowers sprout from his nose, Ynnad blew a cyclone of snot, and Nollid made bubbles appear around him that went _“HAHAHAHAHA!”_ upon popping.

“This is getting nowhere!” Ynnad declared, crossing his wands in an ‘X’. “I summon all the beasts of NATURE!” A bright magical circle appeared on the ceiling as dozens of many different animals rained down, from pigs, deer, flopping fish, gators, and kittens, either running around mindlessly or eating each other. In the chaos, Ynnad seemed to disappear, Nollid trying to dodge frantic monkeys and deer as he searched around.

“Did you see where he went?” Nollid asked Sipa.

“Maybe he’s invisible.”

“Hmm.” Nollid put on his Falcon’s Eyes and switched on the setting that sees through such trickery, and the chubby boy in question was scuttling between some animals. “Stupefy!” He fired and missed, hitting a giraffe. “Stupefy!” Hit a deer. “Stupefy!” Hit Canary Yram, who isn’t nearly as annoying as her Positive counterpart. “Boy, fat guy is fast.”

“What if he turned into an animal?” Sipa asked.

“He’s an Animagus?”

“Animagi are more permanent, but he can change into an animal for a short time. Just wait him out.”

Nollid saw Ynnad scuttling to a farther corner, seeing nothing after he raised his glasses. When some animals in that direction appeared bumped and scurried away, “Levicorpus!” Nollid succeeded in raising the then-invisible boy upside-down, his cloak falling off. “Good luck hiding from my Falcon’s Eyes!”

“Ventus Tria!” Ynnad blasted a powerful gust of wind that blew all the animals against Nollid and Sipa, pushing them to the wall. He then helped himself down, “You haven’t a clue what my Summoning Magic can do. Accio Fear Dragon!” He crossed the wands in an ‘X’, creating a portal where a black dragon with blood-red spots emerged, unleashing a venomous roar. Within seconds, both were entranced under his deafening scream.

**Eporue; Dead Lands**

Nerehc hurriedly dodged as the combo known as Demalladus (or perhaps Mallademise) threw swift furious punches, very fast despite his tremendous size. Nerehc raised his sword to block a punch, then took to the air when Malladus slashed his fingers. Demise swung his arm and sent Nerehc flying for miles, and when he recovered, Demalladus performed a mighty leap to punch down, Nerehc dodging under his legs and shooting lightning up in-between. _“OH, THAT STILL HURRRTS!”_ both cried.

Outside, Itaav created a terrific canyon with all of his matterbending, reforming it all in the sky before sending it down to rebury every last corpse. Raseac created a beanstalk from his potted plant, with many huge branches that slammed all around the ground. Little Aunt then unveiled a belt of bottles of mesmerizing soap, using poisonbending to let all the bubbles fly forward and put the angered souls under a lightheaded trance. “A clean corpse leads to clean afterliving!” she spoke bubbly.

“Yevrah, how is Nerehc doing?!” Itaav called.

“He’s tryin’ his damnedest, but I dunno if it’s working!”

“Khmm heh heh heh…” Ghirahim kept his hold, smiling evilly. “Our revenge is near, Master… the mortals will suffer before long.”

Nerehc was panting, the demons merciful enough to give him a break, but they would be on him again before long. “I’m gonna have… a heck of a headache after this. There has to be… something… if only this sword was more…!” Nerehc stared at the ghostly white blade in his right hand. “My sword… that’s it.”

Ghirahim knelt and waited patiently. Any moment, his master will have control. “NNN! What?” An odd sensation overcame him. Suddenly, he didn’t feel in control of himself. “What is… HAPPENIIIIING?”

Nerehc’s body, though frozen and agape, was clutching the sword in its right hand. “Ghirahim! Help me defeat them!”

“NYEH!” Fast as light, the Demon Lord appeared in this subconscious with Nerehc. “What… AAH!” Against his will, he zipped up and kicked Demise square across the face, blood flying from his mouth. “M-Master!!” Malladus threw a punch at him, but Ghirahim warped behind and kicked, the demon falling to the ground. “Master, I don’t understand! I don’t…”

“He who possesses the chi of Satan controls the Devil’s Sword.” Nerehc smirked evilly. “I possess both… I possess power over you, Ghirahim. I am… the DEMON KING!”

“HUUOOOOH!” Nerehc slashed his sword with sheer gusto, controlling Ghirahim as he raised his own blades and slashed the two-headed demon. “M-Master.” He was now forcibly keeping Demise’s claws back with his swords. No matter how much he wanted to jump away, allow him to slay Nerehc, he couldn’t.

 ** _“Ghirahim.”_** He looked up when his former master spoke. **_“Are you truly intending to_ cry _over me? Have you learned nothing? Your only purpose is to serve the one who holds the sword. Abandon these petty feelings of_ love _. Know only hatred… for the POWER THAT BINDS YOU!”_**

If Ghirahim could make tears, he would be crying. “M-Master… I…I HATE YOOOOOUUU!!” His left hand and Nerehc’s right clutched the Devil’s Sword. They soared miles above the demon as the mountains of surrounding dark flames gathered on the blade, shining with unholy powers. _“DARKNESS STRIKE!”_ They slashed a powerful dark beam directly at the vertical center of the two-headed demon.

**DNKG H.Q.**

Ennael and Eel each climbed into a giant robot, brawling each other with metalbending. Eel’s grabbed the waist of Ennael’s robot and crushed before Ennael’s raised its claws and slammed down on Eel’s arms, followed by a spin that knocked Eel’s against the wall. Eel forced his robot to jump, though not very high, the force pushing Ennael’s back and causing it to fall on its back. Before she could make it stand, the girl was grabbed by the claw of Eel’s robot. “Sorry the sector won’t be the same without me. Oh, wait… IT WAS ALWAYS ME.”

And Ulul continued to stare at her flower, its exotic bud having grown the size of a soccerball. A glittering orange dust fluttered around its topmost hole, Ulul gazing at the ceiling window as a round, shining sun made its presence. “Solaris, God of Suns, let your light shine on life anew!” A white light shone from the bud’s top as the petals slowly began to open. Ulul aimed the plant at Eel, who stared mesmerized at its sunny glow before a blinding laser swallowed him.

“AAAAAAHHHH!” Eel was covered head-to-toe in soot, his robot falling in defeat.

“…I will not ask where you learned a crazy plantbending move like that.” Ennael said.

“My Positive showed me a Pokémon game when we went there.” She smiled brightly. “That move was called the Solar Beam.”

“Oh.”

**Viewing walkway**

Yrret grabbed all the meteors Ikuyim sent using psychic and chucked them all back, Ydnew raising a Block to protect them. “Get ready, Ydnew!” Ikuyim raised one of the meteors and let Ydnew increase its size before the former sent it forward. Yrret grabbed it in psychic as the two were now in a shoving war, Earth vs. Psychic. But the outcome of this war would be tampered with when Yeoj crawled up Yrret’s back as a metal centipede, then a chewing collar that wrapped around and crushed his neck.

“Ahh—what is this?! Get it off me, I say, this is not how one-” In his struggling, he hurdled the meteor toward the glass wall and blew open a hole, the girls immediately grabbing hold of the railing while Yrret was sucked outside. Yeoj was sucked up as well, but morphed into a huge red glop that covered the hole completely. Yrret was floating helpless in space, choking desperately for air. With quick thinking, Ydnew snapped her fingers and warped him back inside.

“Oh, goodness… I would’ve sworn you… HEY!!” He was dangling by the shirt in Ydnew’s fingers.

“Wut, you’re such a tough psychic, do the unshrink.” she said witfully.

“I’ll have you know I WILL perform such a maneuver, and YOU will—” Ydnew frantically shook Yrret like a ragdoll, knocking him senseless in seconds.

“I got maneuvers too, Shrimpling.”

**Pump room**

Annaira had Yddam cornered, grinning with purest malice as her cyclone was about to shred her. She expected the cyclone to turn red with blood, but it didn’t, as Yddam dove inside and shot to the top, punching Anna upside the face. Anna flew backward and flipped upright, lashing more waves that Yddam dodged to and countered, pushing Anna closer to a back wall of pipes. She tried to send another wave, but was met with a string of three water-punches to the face. Both girls panted tiredly, glaring spitefully as their bodies were soaking wet. “Had e…nough?…” gasped Yddam.

“I’m not through, yet!” Annaira leapt backward and fell down a vertical pipe her width. Yddam fearlessly ran after and dove inside. The pipe sunk for meters and meters, going so fast, Yddam shut her eyes from any fatal impact.

She splashed into a vast body of water, resurfacing for breath. She searched around cautiously in this darkness, no idea how far the chamber extended, or where the enemy had gone. A light droplet hit her scalp, and Yddam looked up. A terrifying lizard demon, shaped out of water with glowing eyes, snarled above her, Annaira inside its center. “NOW you’re through!” Sharp, watery needles shot from the monster in attempt to pierce her, Yddam frantically swimming around the pool to dodge. Anna didn’t stop for a second, her goal on killing Yddam set, a helpless fish bound to be stabbed by the hunter’s darts.

She dove beneath the water and saw a light above the wall above the surface, a ladder beside it, so Yddam spun like a torpedo, shot out, and clutched the ladder. Anna kept stabbing, destroying the ladder as Yddam went up, but made it to the foothold in time. She couldn’t stop to breathe, flipping rightward, then leaping above a wide metal pipe along the wall, then jumped off just when Anna’s tentacle pierced. A great surge of electricity alighted the entire demon.

 **“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!”** Anyone who could see might get a seizure, Annaira’s skeleton flashing on and off like a light. It all stopped as the monster collapsed, Anna’s body plopping on the floor. “-uuh.” Her eyes were open, though senseless, her body cold, wet, and unmoving.

Yddam caught her breath and looked around, finding the sign that read, _WARNING: Strong electrical current, use caution while working in the water. (We should probably move this.)_ “Hehehe… lucky.” Yddam chuckled before following the exit out.

**Power station**

Atnort was behind him, Ynned swung, he was on his left, Ynned lashed, Atnort was above, Ynned did the arch-swing, before he was on the farthest end and warping every which way. But Atawid took note of how some of the electric towers died out.

Still panting, having gone beyond the point of exhaustion, Ynned answered a call from his friend-in-the-background. _“The central pillar accumulates the primary amount of energy around the base via the surrounding pillars, there is a 60% chance Atnort’s injury has prevented him from molding his usual amount of chi, ergo he’s forced to use the tower for immediate recharges, every time he uses power, he warps above the tower for a brief recharge, the chance to attack him is when he warps.”_

Atnort began warping at a slight slower pace with the disabled towers, but kept going randomly for the sake of intimidating Ynned. The baseballer focused not on him, but the tower’s top, catching that brief glimpse of Atnort in-between warps. Tossing his baseball high, awaiting it to fall, Ynned swung with all his might. The world fell to slow-motion as the ball flew directly toward the tower, Atnort appearing and vanishing for brief seconds. Just when the ball was about to touch that point, he appeared. 8I “Oh-”

It made contact with Atnort’s teeth, the alien falling backward and landing as blood dripped from his mouth. He would be getting several visits from the Anti-Tooth Fairy. “Sigh… thanks… Eed.” Ynned gasped.

“No problem. It was only guessing.”

**Dark corridor**

Avakam was having so much fun. Nil and Niyus were shaking… she could feel it… oh, how much they feared death. “Poooor dears… how they moan… their blood will be fresh… down to the bone.” She cocked her gun and locked on Niyus. “Good-bye… Child…”

“I wonder how _your_ blood would taste, then.”

“Huh?” Avakam turned. Ibyf’s frizzy-haired form appeared from the blackness, green eyes drooping and zombie-like. “Aaaah! How did you find me up here?”

“I smelled your fear… how afraid you are… to face the inevitable. Instead, hide… in the shadows.”

Avakam backed away fearfully. She gasped, feeling another presence, Aliehs behind her. “I wouldn’t mind killing you. Let’s climb in a cannon and fly miles over the sea.”

Avakam’s skin was crawling. She turned, finding Egroeg and AlyakAm. “We’ll always be with you.” The former said.

“Yes. Come into the Sulfury Void.”

She fell in deepest fear, wondering what creature would come forth next. There it was… a smiling, innocent girl with blank white eyes. “Hi.” said Ydolem.

“AAAAAAAHHHH!” Avakam ran off the ledge where she sat perched and through the endless darkness. “GET AWAY GET AWAY GET AWAY GET AWAY GET AWAAAAAYYY!” She ran and ran, but no matter how far she may get, darkness was infinite, darkness was inescapable, darkness would claim her soul. The speed of her legs and her heart increased when Ibyf, Aliehs, Egroeg, AlyakAm, and Ydolem’s gigantic figures rose from the depths behind her. Their faces melted into venomous skulls, where Avakam’s speed would play no factor as they lunged forward for dinner.

Ihs flipped the lights on as all stared at Avakam’s shuddering form, trapped under Ibyf’s stare. Both shadows flew down to their masters. “Thank you, guys! You saved Nil and Niyus!” Nil beamed.

“We’re always happy to help our fellow kin.” Though Ydolem was the only one that looked happy.

**Stairway**

“UUUUUUHHHHHHNNNNNNN!” More furiously did Beewv try to strike, and more innocently did Ynohtna dodge. “I’m gonna KILL YOU! I’m gonna… I’m gonna… _I’m gonna… I’m gonna… I’m…”_ And then Beewv fell. Having exhausted all the strength in his tiny arms, it was time to sleep. Ynohtna picked the Naineetak up gently and rocked him in his hands.

“Awww… little guy tuckered himself out.” He set Beewv over beside the wall and put a mini blanket over him. “It’s okay, little Beewvie, go to sleep.”

When Aenara flew at them, Yllas and Yevrah swung a foot forward to knock her back, then while still in midair, they threw their string-attached tops, wrapped around her legs, and swung overhead and against the stairs. The large bladed tops started bouncing down the stairs, Aenara panicking as she dashed down to get away. She jumped and allowed the tops to pass under her, but their blades had sliced two parallel lines into the stairs, Aen standing in the center. “WHOOOA!” She fell through the stairs, then the layer below, before hitting the bottom. She looked up filled with fright as the tops were just finishing rolling down. “AAAAIIIIIEE!”

Yllas and Yevrah shut their eyes from the bloody sight. Well, not that bloody. Her legs were chopped in clean half, but were actually sticks that her tiny, skimpy feet were tied to, and on closer inspection, she was even shorter than her Positive. “…WWWWAAAAAAAAHHHH!”

“What a baby.” Yllas said gruffly.

“Not sweet.”

**Toxic hall**

Giant girls piled everywhere on the floor, the -W7 members standing on a pile while catching breath. Yenmihc and Ebnog were at the other end, glaring at their former team. Asia flew, carrying Ahcniea, while Lirpa ran at them, but Yenmihc puffed a purple toxic cloud that forced the three to retreat the other way. “Cyanide and mustard gas, my favorite.” Yenmihc said unenthusiastically. “Good luck not gettin’ paralyzed in here.”

“I’ll show you MY favorite gas!” They all looked toward the opposite end of the hall; Ahcom was on Ardnusyrhc’s head, both with confident smiles. “Something I like to call… Soft, Gentle Feminist!” The Nozama raised a large soda can with a blushing woman surrounded by little flowers and fauna.

“Oh, THAT’S prob’ly healthy.” Lirpa remarked.

“What can THAT do?” Asia asked.

Ardnus cracked the can open and guzzled the soda down. She guzzled until the whole thing was down, and they were amazed someone of even her size could fit it all inside. Once she stopped, a furious rumbling came from her stomach, the giantess vibrating. _“BEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLCH!”_ A powerful sonic wave, stronger than any wind, blew down the hall, sending the gas back, blowing Yenmihc away, and the piles after piles of Nozama with her, burying the poisonbender.

“Tsk-tsk.” Ebnog’s little paw came out on the top, holding a white flag before it fell.

“Whoa. Let me examine your intestinal system one day.” Ahcniea said, her hair a mess.

“Let me use one of your giant baths so I can get all these germs off.” Asia shuddered.

**Vault room**

The dragon had Nollid and Sipa locked under a terrifying gaze, Ynnad taking solace in his opponents’ shivering. “Once you’re finished, I’ll take YOUR wand, too.” he declared. “I’ll earn a spot in Aluben’s inner circle, and NO ONE’ll be able to stop me!”

“Hm hm hm… You seem to get the idea… you can take any wand you want.” Nollid seemed to resist his fears enough to smirk. “A wand possesses a soul… it chooses the soul it deems most worthy. And you should do better… than to claim the Devil’s approval for your own.”

“Oh, get a grip, a wand is a wand.” Ynnad retorted. “No different than a sword, a gun, or a pencil, they’re mindless tools for a wizard and any idiot could easily…” His left hand, clutching Sipa’s wand while both kept the magic portal open, was shaking. “What? What’s happening?”

“Losing your hold a little?” Nollid got to his feet. “Your dragon seems to be. It must be ready to go home.”

“Ahh!” Ynnad was raising Sipa’s wand to his neck, bearing no control to even let go. “What’s it… doing??”

“The Devil’s Wand chooses its holders, and its victims. You are… well, you’ll find out.”

“Aaaa-aaa-ack-ack-ack!” The tip of the wand touched Ynnad’s neck, his body turning gray. The dragon groaned in agony before crawling backwards through the portal, which vanished.

The chubby traitor lay fallen and aching on the floor as Nollid took back Sipa’s wand. “You can do whatever you want with another person’s wand. Just don’t turn it against them.” With that, he returned to Sipa, who was still weakened on all fours. “You really don’t deserve it though, but… here’s your wand back.

_“Sniff… huff…”_

Nollid stared. Tears were dripping on the backs of Sipa’s hands. The nightmare couldn’t have affected her that bad; if the magic was failing on him, it can’t have affected the wand’s own master for long. “Sipa?”

“I…I don’t want to do it anymore, Nollid.” It was the first time Sipa’s ever cried. So many tears had built up. “I don’t want to go to Hell… sniff… I saw where I was gonna go… what my soul would end up like… _I don’t wanna do it anymore, Nollid. I’m afraid where I’m gonna end up… I’m afraid to find out… huff!”_

Nollid raised her to her feet and let her lean on his shoulder. “Hey… it’s gonna be all right. Let’s all get out of here and back to Earth. Nerehc will want to see you.”

“I-I don’t think… I can face him again. I-I don’t know… what will happen.”

“He’s going to beat Aluben and our world will be saved. Now let’s go.” He began running down the base, pulling Sipa by the arm. Her legs were only moving on instinct, but she wouldn’t have the will to move herself. She wonders if a will even exists inside her…

**Hangar**

The Nimbi infiltrated the base and made short work of enemy Psiw or merkids, where Sector SUTARTOBMIN successfully brought Sector -FIN to their waists. Now Nimbi Leader Ibsej was one-on-one with Merkid Leader Amiak. “How fated, the leader of the merkids vs. the-”

“Yeah yeah yeah, I think people get it.” Ibsej interrupted. “It’s weird, though. I don’t know your bending, and you don’t know mine.”

“I figured you’d be an airbender. Or at least Fear.”

“Why would you think that?” Ibsej smirked.

“W-Well… what else would Nimbi use?”

Both leaders reached an impasse. Their operatives were watching, suspense building inside. “So on the count of -3, we both attack?”

“Okay. Negative one…” Amiak was nervous, but was almost positive of Ibsej’s power.

“Negative two…” Ibsej wasn’t at all nervous.

“Negative three!” Amiak blasted a stream of sapphire flames from both hands, which Ibsej blocked with two meteors her ships carried in. The meteors were good and crispy, so once Amiak finished, Ibsej raised them both above her and smashed.

“One of a million Nimbi who bend earth.” Ibsej confirmed. “Never saw it coming.”

In moments, every last Earth operative and ally returned. “Destructively Nefari—I mean, Daring New KIIIIDS, we have succeeded in capturing the base of the Destructively Nefarious KID GOOOOODS!” Sicnarf announced for all to hear.

_“HOORAAAAAAYYYY!”_

“Quick, we have to go back to Earth and save everyone else!” Lorac exclaimed.

“You’re right! Everyone to the ships!” Sicnarf ordered as they all began to scramble.

“My darling Lorac plans for everything!” Nosam said, kept aloft by his love.

**On route to Planet Earth**

The entire fleet followed lightspeed and were nearing Earth’s atmosphere. While everyone’s respective pilots drove, the others were recovering from the chaotic invasion. “A little easier next time, Dam.” Hcaz said, his back sore.

“Sorry.”

Sector -V, Sicnarf, and Ininap were driving a prison vessel, taking all of their traitors back with them. Emorej was also along for the ride, downtrodden. “What’s wrong, Emo?” Ininap asked.

“I don’t know if I can go back to Ztar Haven after all this. Betraying my sister, a-and my parents… they’re gonna kill me.”

“Maybe you can live on Earth with us.” she told him comfortingly. “Earth is a lovely place… it’s been even better with Nerehc’s leadership. Ay know you can have a lot of fun there.”

“What if Nerehc doesn’t beat her?”

“Oh, don’t doubt Nerehc.” Sicnarf informed. “If there’s one thing about him… he doesn’t let defeat last long.”

The ships all entered the atmosphere to Eporue’s Dead Lands, where Sipa claimed these chaotic events transpired. “I don’t see anything.” Ennael spoke up.

“Dad…” Ydnew spoke lowly. “Where did you-”

A storm of blue flames flew and caused them to shift about uncontrollably, many ships taking the fall and crashing in the barren fields. The members of -V, -W7, and -W helped each other stand. All operatives, however, fell ultimately helpless when the colossus of molded corpses appeared above them.

 _“I hate it when subjects defy the written word of an empire’s rule. I hate it when subjects waste my precious time with petty, hopeless rebellions. I hate it, when I must exterminate so many vermin, because they_ just _… don’t… under_ stand _. To know why Negatives exist, our only purpose… is to breed hate with our others. You will all come… to realize that.”_

There was a tremendous flash of purple lightning, and out of purely nowhere, the colossal mass went flying all the way against a mountain. A burning purple flame alit the darkness. Its core made them feel both stiff and warm.

Nerehc’s sword was shiny and longer, with the strength to slice whole continents in half. He glowed with the brightness of a purple sun, encased in a flame of justice. He looked around at the ships still skimming the air, then to his loyal operatives below. Those large brown eyes, the light of his flame reflecting off her tears… made her look so beautiful.

Everyone was startled when Nerehc zipped to the ground, giving Sipa a cool smile. He held a warm, inviting hand to her trembling form. “It makes you breathless to see me this way, huh?”

“…NO!” She whipped around, falling on all fours. “I don’t want to… anymore… I don’t want to… follow Satan… I…I HATE HIIIIM!”

Nerehc knelt down and hugged her. One would think the flame surrounding him would destroy that purpose… but Sipa never felt so warm. “Then don’t follow Satan. Don’t help him, anymore. Help Nerehc. Because Nerehc loves you. And your love for him… topped your Satanic ideals. Right?”

His voice was so warm and soothing. It was nothing like the voice Sipa wanted to hear. For so long, she wanted to hear that voice of eternal darkness and damnation. That voice has been hers all along. Nerehc’s voice was… way better. “SNIIIFF!” She sucked in a long glob of snot and turned around to hug him. Her tears soaked his jacket, then sizzled in the flame.

Nerehc let go and soared across the plain, leaving a flaming trail like a comet. His sword was held to his right as Ghirahim flew beside him. “Master… it’s excruciating to work with you again.”

“Yeah.”

Within Nerehc’s subconscious, Demise and Malladus lay defeated. Their severed halves gazed dreamily at the heavens. _**“Malladus…”**_

_“Yeah?”_

_**“I never hated… anyone more than you until now.”** _

_“….Me too.”_

 

**Love is truly a frightening force.**


	20. Short Death the Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nerehc Onu battles Aluben for the final time.

**Play “With Me” from _Sonic and the Black Knight_. Trivia: I was going to play this music for Nega Dimentia way back then.**

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**_

Chapter -1: Short Death the Queen

_**

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_Final boss: Goddess of Death_

_“For so many years, our Negaverse has been a thriving point for demons like you.”_ Aluben spoke, hovering meters from Nerehc in her skeletal child form. _“Our gods have abandoned us to be your supper. As goddess of this world, my solace will be found in destroying you. For all time.”_ Her legions of corpses down below alit with majestic flames, which all flew and bunched into her rotting mountain of death. A gigantic feminine Grim Reaper with long hair made of ash and flesh faced him with dark and gold flaming eyes.

“Well, if you’re the best god the Negaverse can get, I’ll just have to change my religion.” Nerehc retorted confidently, his God’s Sword flashing.

“At least we can both agree… that a mortal should never have such power!” Ghirahim licked his lips. “Let’s destroy her, Master.”

Aluben let loose a storm of blue flame, Nerehc expanding the bubble of his violet as he soared at Aluben and slashed her face. Her moldy bones reformed as a swarm of corpses flew out of her body, surrounding Nerehc like giant flies and grabbing him from all ends. The blue flames mixed with his purple and only made the bodies smell worse, he and Ghirahim spinning around like a multi-directional planet and slicing them away with their blades. The bones still existed in pieces and rotated around, and as Nerehc chased a retreating Aluben, the filthy little pieces were latching back on. Nerehc slowed in his flight to shake them off, but after bursting his flame, they were coming right back. Faster than one could think, Ghirahim snapped his strings of kunai out of thin air, sending them at every little bone within milliseconds to break them.

Nerehc made it closer to Aluben and furiously swung his sword at incoming corpses, finally catching the colossus as he slashed beams of light that broke her mountain to pieces, enabling Nerehc to fly into the center and slash the horrible skeleton who was creating it all. The moldy walls around them came out and attempted to grab Nerehc, who backed out as the mountain reformed itself. Multiple tubular currents of bones flew out of Aluben and around the air, trying to surprise him from several directions as he quickly dodged, only to be batted around before Aluben swung her arm and sent him flying. He recovered midair and saw the currents coming again, when Ghirahim appeared in his way and repelled them with a barrier made by his swords.

“It’s hard to believe how an ordinary bender can become so ugly.” Nerehc commented.

“The Logia level was invented to give mortals the sense of being a god.” Ghira replied. “It was the biggest blunder since giving them element bending in the first place.”

Nerehc soared around the barrier as ghouls flew up from the earth below, Nerehc slashing them away before frantically dodging what felt like gunfire. _“The Nairuomolg bury their dead with their guns. Isn’t that just… fantastic?”_ The skeletons of said alien species emerged from Aluben’s body, shooting guns that had molded with them, with blue flaming bullets. Nerehc bounced them back with his sword as he flew forward, slashing beams of light that sliced the guns. But the aliens’ mouths morphed into cannons and began blasting, Nerehc and Ghirahim working together to slice the whipping projectiles.

Sipa walked to a barren patch of land away from the others, still miles away from the clash going on. She got to her knees and folded her hands in prayer, her wand in-between. “Lord Satan… I am hereby discommunicating from your teachings. I will not leave, of course, without my promised compensation. One million souls… to last you ages.” Her eyes flung open as though the lids were stapled into such a position, baring no sense of will or emotion as she waved her wand and spun, sprouting massive flames that aligned a perfect circle over a wide range of land. Once the flames were brimming, she began to burn the design.

Nerehc and Ghirahim flew up to Aluben and let fly their slashes, but she dispersed into thousands of bones that created a cyclone, trapping them in the center. Naturally, flaming corpses flew in from every end, forcing both swordsmen to slice them away in defense. The flames began to build within the sides and create immense heat, all of it being channeled at her enemies. Nerehc ignited his violet flame with all his fury, but the blue would overcome it before long.

Aluben’s head was formed at the top of the cyclone, glaring as her long-time enemy met his burning end. A dark portal appeared yards from her, however, and Nerehc and Ghirahim came out. She redirected the cyclone back at them, but Nerehc created another portal to suck it in, the other end appearing behind her head as the force of spinning flaming corpses made impact. Nerehc alit his hands with flames imbued with darkness, sending twin beams to burn through Aluben’s ember eyes, afterwards flying directly into her mouth and shove her body out through the back.

Both flew around and laid blows on each other, before Aluben flew back and summoned a bunch of dinosaur bones, shielding from Nerehc’s furious fire breath. He stopped to stare at the burning remains, which Aluben sent forward to push him away. Nerehc swerved around to escape and returned to his opponent, who summoned the skulls of apparent giants as they brimmed her evil glow and tried to snap Nerehc in teeth that could munch iron. Nerehc got between one’s jaws and held them open with both ends of his blade, another skull chomping from ahead and ramming this one as Nerehc dodged through the new one’s mouth. More were coming as Nerehc lit his sword with violet flames, dealing huge slashes that cut the skulls in half.

 _“I always loved watching mortals duke it out.”_ said Malladus with delight. _“Nerehc, since we’re in your head, perhaps you could imagine us some tapioca?”_

“I’m no psychicbender.”

Aluben took what remained of the skulls and sent them flying at Nerehc from all directions, Ghirahim appearing to rapidly slice them all away. Nerehc escaped and flew at Aluben to swing his blade while Aluben defended with her extended shin bone. She used both bones to combat Nerehc and succeeded in slashing his left waist, blood falling below. She thrusted both bones forward while Nerehc dodged down, shooting up behind to slice her up the spinal cord, which Aluben decided to extract and flail around like a spiked whip.

Sipa was near completion in drawing the circle, but her suddenly-keen senses heard the slash. She poofed below their battle and let Nerehc’s blood fall on her face. She poofed back to the circle and wiped the blood onto it. The blood sizzled as red spread from it along the design.

Aluben sent a series of animal skeletons that Nerehc easily sliced away, unprepared as she wrapped him in her spinal cord, flew him around, then smashing on the ground. She watched as her mountain of bones once again piled upon her body. Angel corpses, merman corpses, Minish and aliens, she would become a ghastly body of death. Still not fazed, Nerehc flew straight to the head, only for some discarded corpses to block his way and swing spinal whips at him.

_“Nerehc… don’t you understand? As the Demon Prince, you of all beings must know, the only power in the universe is hatred. Goals spawn from envy and desire, what you call friendships are based on distaste, and a person only grows to rise against what they despise. My disposition against the gods for leaving us down here, and the horrid fate to befall my people, has given me hatred that helped me grow into a level beyond mortal. A being like you whom was born with the power; why would you deny yourself?”_

“I’m not denying anything; I’ve got hatred for plenty of things I wanna kill. But I’m not taking criticism from some freak who steals her hatred from other souls.”

 _“This hatred could have been_ yours _.”_ There was a hint of an insistent rise in her voice. _“These souls have waited for millions of years to be awakened and fuel their king. You were supposed to find them first; has the Devil inside neglected to tell you?!”_

“Guess I was just lazy. Kinda glad ‘cause I can’t imagine how many baths you’ll be taking.”

 _“I don’t BELIEVE this!! You’re so ANNOYING! I WANNA_ KILL _YOU!”_

“Gee. Mood swing, much?”

“The hate in her souls is finally getting to her.” Ghirahim observed.

Nerehc and Ghira landed on the mountain’s side and started running up, dodging around or slicing spewing columns of bones. The mountain stretched higher than the clouds, but they neared the gigantic head before long as it snapped sharp boney teeth. The duo flew circles around the head before Nerehc flew away and attracted lightning from the clouds to his sword, using his electrified blade to hold open her teeth when she came. He flew even higher and lit the sky with rising blue lightning, absorbing it all in his fingers, then releasing a powerful bolt at Aluben’s neck. The plasma drilled through and severed the head, letting it fall to the earth.

The head tried to fly, but Nerehc shot down and batted it further down like a meteor, crashing the ground. The rest of the body began to disperse as Nerehc and Ghirahim flew down, escaping the bones as they became a humongous wave. It chased them across the plain during their pursuit of Aluben’s head, Nerehc blasting comet-like fireballs to break parts off. Eventually Aluben’s body was uncovered, the furious bonebender whipping around to lash her twin severed spinal cords at Nerehc. Nerehc let them wrap around his sword and yanked Aluben over, kicking her upside the head, then kicking her miles across the plain.

The entire Satan Circle was brimming red as Sipa knelt outside its edge. A vortex of eternal darkness and despair spawned. “Satan-sama… your souls are ready. Cooked them nice and fresh just for you.” _…It was… fun while it lasted._ A tear dropped.

Nerehc’s sword and Aluben’s shin bones were pushing against the other, a psychotic flare in the latter’s eyes. _“NO! I won’t let you stop ME!”_ The two broke away. _“I am the Queen of the Negaverse, the legacy of the Mottobeikniw Family! I will bring the Negaverse to an era of peace and prosperity, as the one and only god who sees AAAALL!”_

“Sees all, huh?” Nerehc cocked a brow. “Then tell me… see that little cave in the Earth’s core with your name on it?”

If Aluben still had flesh, it would be red with rage. _“DIE!! Just DIE AND NEVER COME BACK!”_ Wave after wave of bones came flying, but Nerehc swiftly dodged them all and slashed across her face.

“Ghirahim, get in!” Nerehc raised his sword.

“Oh, Master… you’re too kind.” With a peaceful demeanor, Ghirahim dispersed into energy and absorbed in the sword. Its glow brighter and whiter than ever, Nerehc flew with the sword aimed directly at Aluben’s chest. The Dictator encased herself in a great, thick sphere of corpses which Nerehc began to pierce through.

_“I just want everyone to DIE! I hate everything in the world and EVERYONE THAT EVER LIVED!! I wanna see ALL of you skinned alive and throw you in with MILLIONS of corpses that will never find solace! Before this moment, and even beyond, YOU WILL ALL BE NOTHING FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIIIIVES!”_

“Well then… at least we’ll have the lives to see that.” Nerehc transferred his protective flame into the sword, combined with a little lightning. The thousands of dusty bones begun to encase him too as he entered. The ball of bones stopped spinning, the viewing operatives anxiously awaiting the outcome. Light burst out from many areas of the sphere, until the entire structure collapsed. The blade of justice shone through Aluben’s chest.

She felt nothing through her bones. The fire in her eyes kept burning. A wind blew into the vortex below, as though desperately calling her. The immeasurable anger grew inside as Nerehc whispered in her ear. “Short death the Queen…”

 ** _“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”_** She was down the spiraling chasm like a sudden increase in gravity, through the blazing red flames of the Underworld. The demons below would have a banquet on all of those souls.

The huge portal vanished, the flames died, and Sipa fell. Eons of hatred that had awakened and laid waste to the Negaverse… were gone. (End song.)

**Posiverse**

The victory over Dimentio was sealed, and the universe was saved. The heroes were Nebula D. Winkiebottom and MaKayla, the former of which felt woozy to her nearly-matter-exploded stomach. “Nnn, actually… how ‘bout you guys do it, I’m feeling a little…” She fell unconscious.

**Dead Lands**

Nerehc slowly returned to the ground, panting in a victorious fashion. _“Master… if you would… leave me out of the cheesy wrap-up.”_

“Huff… sure.”

The sword shrunk back to normal as many of the ships landed, and the operatives hurried to Nerehc’s side. The Dead Lands were more quiet than they’d ever been. More peaceful.

Everybody shifted their gaze when the Black Lotus members appeared. Itaav, Little Aunt, Raseac, and Yevrah stepped aside to let two more pass. Oitnemid returned, and at his side, Arorua Onu on crutches. The boney man stopped and allowed her to limp toward Nerehc, who merely waited with a cool smile. Just inches from him, Arorua released the crutches and fell to hold him in her arms. Tears fell down to Nerehc’s shoulder as he hugged back. Both released and faced Oitnemid. “Oh, right. Sorry for… killing your niece.”

“It was… inevitable… My sister’s obsession… brought her daughter this fate. But, I’m glad… things turned out… for the better.” He fell, the kids gasping. He didn’t move anymore. He was dead.

To confirm this, his faint blue ghost emerged from the bones, finally free after all these years. A green flame exploded beside him, and the Grim Reaper appeared. “Will SOMEONE explain to me why over a million-and-seventy-thousand souls were reported showing up in the Underworld in one fell swoop?!”

Nerehc exchanged a glance with Rorua before passing her to Sirhc, approaching Grim with a, er grim look. “Grim, you’ve overlooked the Negaverse long enough. There are millions of fallen souls left abandoned here consumed in hatred, so it’s time you collected.”

“W-Well, of course I did, Lord Satan made the rule a long time ago, ‘Reapers will leave the souls in the Negaverse be-’”

“ **I’M** Lord Satan.” For a moment, Grim saw the image of Demise in Nerehc’s form, but it was gone like that. “And I hereby revoke that rule. The million souls I sent you was just warm-up; you and your reapers will work around the clock until every last soul in need of solace is taken.”

There was a worried look on Grim’s face; he even looked like he was sweating. “Th-That’s sort of inconvenient for me; see, I’m in the middle of-”

“In the middle of what?!”

Nerehc’s glare frightened Grim. He couldn’t think of how to argue. It didn’t feel the time to unveil such a truth. “…Fine.”

“Another thing, that body that’s containing those million souls? I need you to keep that alive. That girl’s Positive is a really close friend of Cheren, so he wouldn’t appreciate me killing her.”

“You ask too much of me, Boy. All right.”

“You can start with Mr. Ointment here.”

Grim turned as Oitnemid’s ghost floated beside him. “Hmm… okay. I guess I’ll go collect his Positive, too. Let’s go, Mr. Ointment.”

“It’s Oitnemid.” And with that, Grim teleported them both.

Nerehc sat on the ground for rest, laying the Devil’s Sword on his lap. Surrounding operatives stepped aside once more when Sipa limped through, holding a tired eye. She stopped in place and looked down at Nerehc. “…In the Negaverse, the tired hero takes his time to rest, letting the girl come to him instead.”

“Isn’t this whole ‘opposite’ thing getting old?”

“It’s only natural.”

“What an astonishing journey.” Itaav sighed. “But a sad fate of the Mottobeikniw’s. They had so much talent, gone to waste.”

“To be fair, we should probably do something about her parents.” Nerehc said. “To be judgmental, they don’t sound like good people.”

“I have to agree. To force their daughter into such a fate.” Itaav looked at the sky reflectively. _Vaati… are you certain of the fate you set for your daughter? Every time I think of, I can only question you…_

“Speaking of, I think _my_ Positive got into a nasty piece of business.” Raseac informed. “Oh, I hope I don’t die…”

“Hm hm hm!” Little Aunt laughed. “Oh, silly, what’s the worst that can happen?”

“Boy… you’ve done a noble thing for this world.” Reilicaf spoke approvingly. “Ah see the Negaverse entering an era of peace.”

“That would be somethin’.”

“Buuut, at any rate… you probly have some loose ends to tie up. As do we. Take care, Boy.” He bowed. “God bless us all.” His Black Lotus comrades bunched together as Ydnew teleported.

“Yaaaaawn. First I wanna nap.” Nerehc said.

“Oh, still tired?” With that, Sipa zapped her wand and made his legs into jelly.

“Aaaaahh!” Arorua and some operatives laughed as he fell to his back. “Hey!”

“I’m downplaying my cruelty by like a lot, but not enough to not cause you discomfort.” She smiled witfully.

“Sigh, Sipa…”

**Two days later**

Panic subsided after those millions of revived dead were subdued, taken by the reapers. The Underworld had one hell of a time, bringing out extra Judgment Scales and working endlessly so every Negative’s soul was weighed and judged. Over and over, the officers went “Spirit. Spirit. Prison. Sanzu. Prison. Spirit. Sanzu. Sanzu-PRISON. Spirit. Prison. Sanzu.”

Oitnemid was in a line, turning to the man behind him. Oitnemid and Dimentio stared at each other longingly. “Nice hat.” the former said.

“Yours, too.” Dimentio smiled.

They made it to the scales, Oitnemid first. “Spirit.” He was uplifted to Heaven. Dimentio was next. “Yikes, prison.”

Dimentio walked willfully to the prison – passing a small building where souls were forcibly extracted from a skeletal child through the window. Dimentio was brought inside the building, walked calmly into his prison cell, and sat while the bars slammed. “Hmph… I’m here now. She said he would come. Sniiiff… this scent. I’m in my sister’s old cell.”

With the DNKG gone, peace returned to Aixalag; since its operatives were deemed too young for prison, Juvy was the next best thing. Members like Atnort and Annaira were hospitalized, hoping they would think differently by the time they were healed. Aitnemid and Ymerej were reported to galactic officials and arrested for child abuse. Admiral Silver-Foot Eniram earned a medal of honor for apprehending them. Emorej, now an only orphan, was sent to live with his less-than-intelligent cousins, Yrag and Haras.

Ahcniea used her medical know-how to remove every DNKG marking on every operative they could find. And just for fun’s sake, Innus used psychicbending to minimize all the traitorous operatives and put them in bottles X), so each of their former teammates could keep them in their treehouse for decoration. Figured they could blow off their steam before they were let out. Cire Ztivroh was finally brought out of his petrified state as well; though he was pretty peeved he wasn’t brought out sooner.

A lot of factories were ruined in the chaos, so little smoke filled the sky. A golden sun lit a pretty blue sky over Ainigriv. Nerehc and Sipa sat by the Onion River, surrounded by friends like Arorua, Lorac (being googled by Nosam), Ynohtna, Ydolem talking with Nollid about him transferring sectors, Ibsej fluttering overhead, and others. “Who’da thought… Kids so destructively nefarious can try something daring and new.” he said.

“Only you.” Sipa replied.

“Still… I almost forgot about that ‘Apocalypse’ thing. I’m still wondering if it’s true. You think we should prepare for that?”

“Let the Positives worry about it, they’re God’s favorites.”

“Yeah, but they won’t do anything ‘less we’re around watching. Still… the source of all hatred.” He held his stomach. “It’s inside me.”

“Good.” Sipa patted his tummy. “It can stay inside you. ‘Til we have our own baby!”

“Oh, the day when Reilicaf finally marries us. Depending on who Cheren marries, though, we’ll end up gettin’ his kids. Still, are you really… giving up on the whole thing?”

Sipa sighed, staring mesmerized at the glittering river. “It’s just I was only raised to know evil and honor where evil comes. I know I was supposed to mangle my soul in the name of Satan, give him power, so he may power others who follow him. I always thought you would give me that pleasure… and I thought you have, because I felt so… wonderful around you. Then I saw… how you were making my soul feel, next to where my soul was going. Is it even right to abandon a philosophy you grew up with for the sake of inner pleasure?”

“You’re the last person I expected to hear that from. But if it feels good inside you, all I can say is go for it. Do what makes your soul feel warm.”

“But my soul is already so… cold.” She frowned regretfully. “So demolished. I don’t think it could heal enough in time so we could… see the next world together.” (Play “Celebrate the World” from _The Lorax_.)

“…” Nerehc put his arm around and leaned her closer. “Then I’ll stay with you ‘til your soul feels right. I’m the Demon Prince, I can probably afford good medicine.”

Sipa put on a wry smile and looked at him. “Like a demon would want to buy medicine. You’d relish in the suffering.”

“Then I guess I’m… a demon among demons.”

“Then you’re the only type of demon for me.”

“And your soul is the tastiest I’ll ever know.” And so, Nerehc and Sipa embraced in a long, deep kiss. They remained for several minutes, never knowing greater warmth for each other. It was a sunny day over the world, and they would enjoy it. Sipa glanced angrily at the readers, then aimed her wand as the Death Curse flew.

 

**_Down in the Negaverse_ : Cast:**

**Sharon Mann as _Nerehc Onu_ and _Cheren Uno_**

**Rachael MacFarlane as _Arorua Onu_ , _Aurora Uno_ , and _Lehcar EiznekCm_**

**Kerry Williams as _Lorac Nosretsam_ , _Akurah Atnalamid_ , _Haruka Dimalanta_ , and _Ennael Nosyarg_**

**Janice Kawaye as _Yllas and Yevrah Reprah_ , and _Sally and Harvey Harper_**

**Jennifer Hale as _Ininap Yksvolird_ , _Panini Drilovsky_ , _Ibyf Thgirbluf_ , _Fybi Fulbright_ , and _Ibsej_**

**Matt Levin as _Sicnarf_ and _Sucram Yksvolird_ , and _Francis_ and _Marcus Drilovsky_**

**Zoe Slusar as _Nosam Atnalamid_ and _Mason Dimalanta_**

**Tara Strong as _Aliehs Citnarf_ , _Sheila Frantic_ , _Yddam Yhprum_ , _Maddy Murphy_ , _Ikus Latsyrc_ , _Avakam_ , _Amiak_ , _Calil and Yrreb_ , _Ynohtna_ , _Ellehcim_ , _Yevrah_ , & _Eigna EiznekCm_ , _Anthony_ , and _Ydolem Noskcaj_ (damn, we’re gonna have to give her a raise)**

**Tom Kenny as _Hcaz Yhprum_ and _Zach Murphy_**

**Billy West as _Yeoj Seltaeb_**

**Lauren Tom as _Eirik Seltaeb_ , _Kirie Beatles_ , _Kuki Beatles_ , _Vanellope Schweetz_ , _Alol Krots_ , and _Lola Stork_**

**Greg Cipes as _Nollid Kroy_ and _Dillon York_**

April Goldenweek walked into the living room of Sector W7 Treehouse—she jumped at the cry of “Surprise!”, all six of her friends wearing party hats and blowing whistles, a blue cake with ‘13’ candles on the table. Apis scurried up to her, holding a piece of paper with a red ribbon on it. The paper was a special form officially pardoning April from decommissioning, for reason: her special services during the N.E.C.S.U.S. quest. –Signed by Cheren Uno. April smiled and sat at the table, blowing her candles and making a wish. She needed a refresher like this after having a scary nightmare last night about an art gallery.

**Jessie Flower as _Nil and Niyus Gnofieb_**

**Grey DeLisle as _Yenmihc Ureku_ , _Chimney Ukeru_ , _Innus_ , _Ycrad_ , & _Aleakim Notirahc_ , _Ydnic Xitroc_ , and _Little Aunt_**

**Cherami Leigh as _Ahcniea_ , _Aeincha_ , _Asia_ , _Aisa_ , _Lirpa Keewnedlog_ , _April Goldenweek_ , and _Ycul Yelhsa_**

**Brittney Karbowski as _Sipa_ , _Apis_ , _Ahcom_ , _Ydnew Llevram_ , and _Wendy Marvell_**

A blustery day in Cleveland Virginia as Dr. Facilier waited on the outskirts, seeing a familiar blue-haired girl dashing to him as fast as the wind, carrying something in both arms. Facilier beamed and welcomed her, but panicked when Wendy tripped on her own feet and threw the white egg forward, his shadow thankfully catching it. Wendy looked up and blushed, then both studied the egg with curiosity. Facilier tapped it gently, listening for anything inside. He gave it back to Wendy as she hugged it close—then, suddenly, the middle cracked. Both stared wide-eyed as the whole top crumbled. A small, white kitten popped out, her reflective brown eyes meeting Wendy’s red ones.

**Jamie Marchi as _Anac Anorebla_**

**Brina Palencia as _Aivuj Reskcol_**

**Akiko Koumoto as _Aluben .D Mottobeikniw_**

**Amy Birnbaum as _Annaira Eerfnud_**

**Kayzie Rogers as _Atnort Eerfnud_ , _Tronta Dunfree_ , and _Eel Nosyarg_**

**Dee Bradley Baker as _Yllaw Seltaeb_ , _Beewv_ , and _Yrret Krots_**

**Rickey Collins as _Ynnad Noskcaj_ and _Vweeb_**

A sunny day in DunBroch 800 years ago as Princess Merida sat on the edge of a vast, endless canyon, swaying her legs. She stared wonderingly across the canyon, seeing part of a large enclosing a few miles off. She couldn’t see it all as it turned the corner, but the top of a rather odd building was present.

**Kelly Macdonald as _Adirem HcorbNud_**

**Scott McGregor as _Egroeg Gnik_**

**MaKayla Rogers as _AlyakAm Gnik_ , _Eelyah Nagillig_ , and _Aenara Thgirbluf_**

**Olivia D’Abo as _Yllehs Nosnhoj_**

**Melissa Fahn as _Ikuyim Latsyrc_ and _Miyuki Crystal_**

**Keith David as _Yevrah Reilicaf_**

**Mark Hamill as _Raseac Atnalamid_**

**Dan Green as _Itaav_ and _Vaati_**

Lord Gnaa escaped from prison and fled to an indigo, windy plain, where a spiky-haired blonde boy waved at him ecstatically in front of a house. Gnaa landed and greeted Naruto, both going inside as their group of friends surprised them as well with cake. A boy with a straw hat, one with spiky orange hair, an afro’d man with huge nosehair, a red-haired boy eating the lit candles, and some others. As they celebrated Gnaa’s apparent birthday, they all wondered how long they’d have to wait.

**D. B. Sweeney as _Negatar Gnaa_**

**Robin Atkin Downes as _Commodore Gals_**

**Wally Wingert as _Smooth Etep_**

**Maile Flanagan as _Menma Ikamuzu_**

**Rob Paulsen as _Eissej Yendis_ , _Oitnemid Mottobeikniw_ , and _Dimentio Winkiebottom_**

**Amber Hood as _Ydnas Yendis_**

**Anri Katsu as _Ghirahim_**

**Kevin Michael Richardson as _Malladus Uno_**

**Takashi Nagasako as _Demise_**

**Patrick Stewart as the _narrator_**

**OC characters owned by Gameverse Studios, Freyre Works, DC Industries, and Mika Works**

**Crossovers from Masashi Kishimoto, Eiichiro Oda, Hiro Mashima, J.K. Rowling, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Sega**

**Published by Archive of Our Own**

**Presented by Gamewizard2008**

**_Down in the Negaverse_ : _END_**

**Although writing the peoples’ names backwards would be kinda funny, but no thanks. So, anyway… wow. Finally finished this. I have to say… I really loved making this. I mean—first chapters were crappy, I’ll say that much, but wow, it’s easily overlooked when I look at the grander scale. Developing the themes and structure of the Negaverse was so much fun, and creating the Negatives of all the Nextgen characters we’ve come to know, really helps you better understand those characters. Writing this story, I’ve come to realize why I like making fanfiction in general: creating a world; or rather expanding one that previously existed, and making characters that people will come to love, and well, these Negatives were guys I came to love. The same rules apply with the crossovers, too. ;) And yes, Nerehc/Sipa is the first and only established Nextgen pairing. Okay, I guess Mason/Sheila are kind of set in stone, but more importantly:**

**Like _FAIL_ , this story went up from being a filler to being really important, because there’s a lot of important things that were foreshadowed here. I’m currently working on a ton of projects, but once I’m all done, we will finally return to _Seven Lights_! In fact, I will soon be starting the DLC including Augustus and Wendy’s stories! Ay, what an eventful first half of the year I’ve faced. Soon, my eternity of restlessness will continue!! See you later XDDDD!**


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